Georgy_Kolotov comments on Hindsight Devalues Science - Less Wrong

92 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 17 August 2007 07:39PM

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Comment author: Georgy_Kolotov 04 March 2013 12:03:17PM 1 point [-]

New here, so hoping for (a) an answer, even though it's been a long time and (b) some mercy if I'm completely wrong... :)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but no theory based on known materials could predict what would happen to a completely new material with unknown qualities. If someone would design Kryptonite, which under the same conditions turns into water, this theory would completely fail to predict this.

Of course, you could update your theory to include Kryptonite, but it still would not include Zeptonium, which under the same conditions gives out gamma-rays.

Ridiculous, yes, but no more so than the conditions which would lead Eliezer to believe 2+2=3...