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bogdanb comments on Is a paperclipper better than nothing? - Less Wrong Discussion

6 Post author: DataPacRat 24 May 2013 07:34PM

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Comment author: bogdanb 30 May 2013 10:11:11PM 1 point [-]

sounds like fighting the hypothetical to me

Well, he did say “solar system (and presumably the universe)”. So considering the universe is stipulated in the hypothetical, but the “presumably” suggests the hypothetical does not dictate the universe. And given that the universe is much bigger than the solar system, it makes sense to me to think about it. (And hey, it’s hard to be less human than a paperclipper and still be intelligent. I thought that’s why we use paperclippers in these things.)

If the trolley problem mentioned “everybody on Earth” somewhere, it would be reasonable to actually consider other people than those on the track. Lesson: If you’re making a thought experiment about spherical cows in a vacuum, don’t mention pastures.