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Coscott comments on Preferences without Existence - Less Wrong Discussion

14 Post author: Coscott 08 February 2014 01:34AM

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Comment author: Squark 09 February 2014 07:27:13AM *  1 point [-]

I'm not following you here. I think Raiden has a valid point: we should shape the utility function so that Boltzmann brains don't dominate utility computations. The meta-framework for utility you constructed remains perfectly valid, it's just that the "local" utility of each universe has to be constructed with care (which is true about other meta-frameworks as well). E.g. we shouldn't assigned a utility of Graham's number of utilons to a universe just because it contains a Graham's number of Boltzmann brains: it's Pascal mugging.

Maybe we should start with a bounded utility function...

Comment author: Coscott 09 February 2014 07:53:50AM 1 point [-]

I am not sure if Raiden's intended point is the same as what you are saying here. If it is, then you can just ignore my other comment, it was arguing with a position nobody held.

I absolutely agree. The local utility of each universe does have to be constructed with care.

I also have strong feelings that all utility functions are bounded.

I was imagining one utility function for the multiverse, but perhaps that does not make sense. (since the collection of universes might not be a set)

Perhaps the best way to model the utility function in my philosophy might be to have a separate utility function for each universe, and a simplicity exchange rate between them.