Wes_W comments on prediction and capacity to represent - Less Wrong

-5 Post author: sbenthall 04 November 2014 06:09AM

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Comment author: Wes_W 04 November 2014 04:18:36PM 2 points [-]

I'm not clear on the distinction you're drawing. Can you give a concrete example?

I don't know how cars work, but almost nothing my car does can surprise me. Only unusual one-off problems require help from somebody who knows the internal structure.

But cars are designed to be usable by laypeople, so this is maybe an unfair example.

Comment author: sbenthall 08 November 2014 06:13:24AM 0 points [-]

You don't know anything about how cars work?

Comment author: Wes_W 10 November 2014 04:40:09AM 1 point [-]

I have a model of what inputs produce what outputs ("pressing on the gas pedal makes the engine go; not changing the oil every few months makes things break"). I do not have a causal model of the internals of the system.

At best I can make understandish-sounding noises about engines, but I could not build or repair one, nor even identify all but the most obvious parts.