Thom_Blake comments on True Ending: Sacrificial Fire (7/8) - Less Wrong

19 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 05 February 2009 10:57AM

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Comment author: Thom_Blake 05 February 2009 05:38:49PM 0 points [-]

Nick,

Behavior isn't an argument (except when it is), but it is evidence. And it's akrasia when you say, "Man, I really think spending this money on saving lives is the right thing to do, but I just can't stop buying ice cream" - not when you say "buying ice cream is the right thing to do". Even if you are correct in your disagreement with Simon about the value of ice cream, that would be a case of Simon being mistaken about the good, not a case of Simon suffering from akrasia. And I think it's pretty clear from context that Simon believes he values ice cream more.

And it sounds like that first statement is an attempt to invoke the naturalistic fallacy fallacy. Was that it?