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someonewrongonthenet comments on Is a paperclipper better than nothing? - Less Wrong Discussion
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If I were a paper-clipper and wanted to maximize paper clip output, it would make sense to have some form of self replicating paper-clip manufacture units.
Well, yeah, but one doesn’t necessarily value those. I mean, there’s no difference between a paperclipper and a super-bacteria that will never change and perpetually creates copies of itself out of the entire universe. Life is usually considered worthwhile because of the diversity and the possibility of evolving to something resembling "persons", not just because it reproduces.
True. What I said was in reference to
Within a system of self-replicating information...maybe, just maybe, you'll start getting little selfish bits that are more concerned with replicating themselves than they are with making paperclips. It all starts from there.
Assuming, of course, that the greater part of the paperclipper doesn't just find a way to crush these lesser selfish pieces. They're basically cancer.
Oh, OK then. On this site I usually understand “paperclipper” to mean “something that will transform all the universe into paperclips unless stopped by someone smarter than it”, not just “something really good at making paperclips without supervision”. Someone please hit me with a clue stick if I’ve been totally wrong about that.
You've gotten it right this time.