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jsteinhardt comments on Utility is unintuitive - Less Wrong Discussion

-5 Post author: jsteinhardt 09 December 2010 05:39AM

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Comment author: jsteinhardt 09 December 2010 05:50:25PM 1 point [-]

1) If you live in a simulation and I control it, I think it's hard for you to make any assumptions about how bad a state I can put you in.

2) Your argument fails in the least convenient possible world (e.g., you are trying to get around my objection by raising a point that [might?] be true in our universe but doesn't have to be true in general).

Comment author: James_Miller 09 December 2010 07:06:50PM 0 points [-]

(2) is a good point. But on (1) before I give you the $5 don't I at least have to make an assumption or calculation about the probability of such a bad state existing? If I'm allowed to consider numbers of 3^^^3 magnitude for my utility can't I also assign the probability of (your being Omega and such a bad state exists) of 1/3^^^3 ?

Comment author: jsteinhardt 10 December 2010 02:08:53AM 0 points [-]

(2) turns out to fail as well, see the modified original post.