Liron comments on Rationality test: Vote for trump - Less Wrong

-18 Post author: pwno 16 June 2016 08:33AM

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Comment author: Val 23 June 2016 07:07:19PM 0 points [-]

And why should we be utility maximization agents?

Assume the following situation. You are very rich. You meet a poor old lady in a dark alley who carries a purse with her, with some money which is a lot from her perspective. Maybe it's all her savings, maybe she just got lucky once and received it as a gift or as alms. If you mug her, nobody will ever find it out and you get to keep that money. Would you do it? As a utility maximization agent, based on what you just wrote, you should.

Would you?

Comment author: Liron 02 July 2016 09:00:18PM 0 points [-]

Have you read the LW sequences? Because like gjm explained, your question reveals a simple and objective misunderstanding of what utility functions look like when they model realistic people's preferences.