katydee comments on Shut up and do the impossible! - Less Wrong

28 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 08 October 2008 09:24PM

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Comment author: Strange7 30 September 2010 04:16:10AM 4 points [-]

Imagine, humans plumbing this deep in the concept space of rationality only to create a cause that would make it so that no human need ever think that hard again. Mankind's greatest mental achievement - never to be replicated again, by any human.

You say that like it's a bad thing.

Yes. those of us here in this particular online community enjoy thinking hard on tricky, dangerous subjects. There are also online communities of people who enjoy receiving painful electric shocks, or being mechanically immobilized for extended periods of time, or getting eaten alive. The vast majority of such humans, on the other hand, avoid such activities to the fullest extent that they are able.

I look forward to a world in which the task of designing a friendly AI with the resources we have today is regarded as something like the achievements of Yogendra Singh Yadav, a world with challenges as far beyond our own understanding as public-key encryption is beyond cave paintings.

Comment author: wedrifid 30 September 2010 04:50:25AM 7 points [-]

There are also online communities of people who enjoy ... getting eaten alive.

Really? They must only be half hearted about it (so to speak).

Comment author: katydee 30 September 2010 05:36:04AM 6 points [-]

I believe that in one infamous case in Germany, one such person arranged to be killed and eaten by a cannibal, and this actually occurred-- so at least a few of these people are truly dedicated.

Comment author: wedrifid 30 September 2010 09:40:28AM *  2 points [-]

one such person arranged to be killed and eaten

I assume you mean eaten and killed! ;)

Comment author: AndyCossyleon 06 August 2013 12:43:45AM 2 points [-]