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heredami comments on Open thread, August 19-25, 2013 - Less Wrong
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I have never consciously noticed a dust speck going into my eye, at least I don't remember it. This means it didn't make big enough effect on my mind so that it would have made a lasting impression on my memory. When I first read the post about dust specks and torture, I had to think hard about wtf the speck going into your eye even means.
Does this mean that I should attribute zero negative utility to dust speck going into my eye?
You could consider the analogous problem of waking up during surgery & then forgetting it afterwards.
The dust speck is just a symbol for the smallest negative utility unit. Just imagine something else.
Oh, I was already aware of that (and this is not just hindsight bias, I remember reading about this today and someone suggested replacing the speck with the smallest actual negative utility unit). This isn't really about the original question anyway. I was just thinking if something that doesn't even register on a conscious level could have negative utility.
I guess anything with a negative cumulative effect.
Imagine the dust specks piling in your eye until they start to interfere with your vision.
Well, yes, but it's one dust speck per person...
And it's entirely possible that utility of dust speck isn't additive. In fact, it's trivially so: one dust speck is fine, a few trillion will do gruesome things to your head.
I'm now thinking of developing a Dust Speck Machine Gun. Or Shotgun, possibly.
Well, I don't see how anything that never registers on any level can have any utility.
But... I dunno. Something that lowers your IQ by 1 point may be something you will never discover, and yet it will cause you negative utility...