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DanielLC comments on Varying amounts of subjective experience - Less Wrong Discussion

-7 Post author: DanielLC 16 December 2010 03:02AM

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Tags: consciousness utilitarianism utility

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Comment author: DanielLC 16 December 2010 08:44:03PM 0 points [-]

How do you choose who's self-interest to act in?

If two people are acting rationally, and they have the same information, they should come to the same conclusion. As such, it would seem reasonable that they'd all pick the same self-interest to act in.

Comment author: Perplexed 17 December 2010 01:51:40AM 0 points [-]

I assume you are joking. But, to respond seriously:

  • No two people have the same information. I knew I have a stomach ache before I shared that information with you.
  • Even if they had the same information, that doesn't necessarily mean they have the same degrees of belief because they may have different priors. Many of my priors have a genetic basis (fear of snakes, for example) and you and I have different genes.
  • Even if they have the same beliefs they don't necessarily have the same preferences.
  • And even if they have the same preferences and the same inclination to act based on self-interest, they have different selves. If they have one stick of bubble-gum between them, and flip a coin to see who gets it, only one of them ends up with the disutility of gum on his face.
Comment author: DanielLC 17 December 2010 02:38:26AM -1 points [-]

They don't start with the same priors or preferences, but unless they have a good reason to trust their own more than the other person's, they'd use both.

For example, imagine you were in some treasure hunt. Everyone has a different, imperfect map. This could result in you all looking in different places, but if you stop and think about it (and it's not a competition) you'll just share maps. The fact that one map happened to be in your hands doesn't make it better.

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