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thomblake comments on Belief in Belief - Less Wrong
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Very interesting. I have transhumanist beliefs that I claim to hold. My actions imply that I believe that I believe, if I understand this properly.
A prime example would be how I tend to my health. There are simple rational steps I can take to increase my odds of living long enough to hit pay dirt. I take okay care of myself, but could do better. Much better.
Cryonics may be another example. More research is required on my part, but a non-zero last stab is arguably better than nothing. I am not enrolled. It feels a bit like Pascal’s Wager to me. Perhaps it is a more valid form of the argument, though. Hoping for a scientific miracle seems essentially different than hoping for a magical miracle. Scientific miracles abound. Artificial hearts, cochlear implants, understanding our origins, providing succor to imbalanced minds, the list goes on. Magical miracles… not so much.
Heck, I could stop forgetting to floss daily! (There seem to be strong correllations between gum disease and heart disease).
I anticipate as if there will be no radical life extension available within my life time, but I will argue for the possibility and even likelihood. Do I have this correct as a type of belief in belief?
Pretty much. Though it might just be a case of urges not lining up with goals.
In both cases, you profess "I should floss every day" and do not actually floss every day. If it's belief in belief, you might not even acknowledge the incongruence. If it's merely akrasia, you almost certainly will.
That's helpful input, thanks. After reading the link and searching the wiki I suspect that it is more likely an akrasia/urges v. goals sort of thing based upon my reaction to noticing the inconsistency. I felt a need to bring my actions in line with my professed beliefs.