Tim_Tyler comments on Beyond the Reach of God - Less Wrong

66 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 04 October 2008 03:42PM

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Comment author: Tim_Tyler 07 October 2008 10:05:00PM 0 points [-]

If the winner could be determined by a simpler computation, you would be running that computation instead [...]

Well, that's the point. Usually it can be, and often we're not. There's a big drive towards virtualising combat behaviour in nature. Deer snort at each other, sea lions bellow - and so on: signalling who is going to win without actually fighting. Humans do the same thing with national sports - and with companies - where a virtual creature dies, and the people mostly walk away. But we are still near the beginning of the curve. There are still many fights, and a lot of damage done. Huge improvements in this area could be made.