James_Miller comments on I Will Pay $500 To Anyone Who Can Convince Me To Cancel My Cryonics Subscription - Less Wrong

33 Post author: ChrisHallquist 11 January 2014 10:39AM

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Comment author: James_Miller 13 January 2014 11:51:27PM 0 points [-]

So... it sounds like you're saying that your confidence that cryonic preservation differentially prevents information-theoretic death is relatively low (given that you estimate the results with and without it to be fairly close)... yes?

Yes given an AI super-intelligence trying to bring me back.

What's your estimate of the signal-strength ratio, to such a superintelligence of your preferences in the matter, between (everything it knows about you + you signed up for cryonics) and (everything it knows about you + you didn't sign up for cryonics)?

I'm not sure. So few people have signed up for cryonics and given cryonics' significant monetary and social cost it does make for a powerful signal.

Comment author: TheOtherDave 14 January 2014 04:51:42AM 0 points [-]

Yes given an AI super-intelligence trying to bring me back.

If we assume there is no AI superintelligence trying to bring you back, what's your estimate of the ratio of the probabilities of information-theoretic death given cryonic preservation and absent cryonic preservation?

So few people have signed up for cryonics and given cryonics' significant monetary and social cost it does make for a powerful signal.

To a modern-day observer, I agree completely. Do you think it's an equally powerful signal to the superintelligence you posit?

Comment author: James_Miller 14 January 2014 05:24:29AM 0 points [-]

If we assume there is no AI superintelligence trying to bring you back, what's your estimate of the ratio of the probabilities of information-theoretic death given cryonic preservation and absent cryonic preservation?

I don't know enough about nanotech to give a good estimate of this path. The brain uploading path via brain scans is reasonable given cryonics and, of course, hopeless without it.

Do you think it's an equally powerful signal to the superintelligence you posit? Perhaps given that in part by signing up for cryonics I have probably changed my brain state to more want to outlive my natural death and this would be reflected in my writings.

Comment author: TheOtherDave 14 January 2014 02:46:55PM 0 points [-]

OK... thanks for clarifying.