Allan_Crossman comments on Adaptation-Executers, not Fitness-Maximizers - Less Wrong

42 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 11 November 2007 06:39AM

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Comment author: Allan_Crossman 09 July 2008 03:09:24AM 2 points [-]

Thus the point about organisms maximising their expected fitness. Organisms really do maximise their expected fitness - just like all other expected fitness maximisers. It's just that their expectations may not be a good match for reality.

What do the words "expected" and "expectations" mean in this context?

"Expected fitness" isn't a term I'm familiar with. But we're talking about organisms that are either not conscious, or are not consciously thinking about fitness. It can't mean "expected" in the normal sense, and so I need an explanation.