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Manfred comments on A Basic Problem of Ethics: Panpsychism? - Less Wrong Discussion
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Comments (16)
Have you read A Human's Guide to Words?
If you have: taboo "consciousness," because the definition itself is what you are uncertain about. What is it that you care if atoms have?
In my opinion, it looks like there is no physical property at stake here - you are instead worried about if atoms have you-care-about-them substance. Which is of course not an actual substance in the atoms - your question ultimately points back to your own ideas and preferences.
This is your own prerogative, but I think if you try to let go of the question of "consciousness" for now until you have a better idea of what physical properties correspond to it, and just ask yourself if you care about atoms for their own sake, you probably do not, and thus can stop worrying about it.
This assumes that I can't care about something without first giving it a physical definition. But this is not true. I care about myself, and I care about myself even if I do not yet know the physical properties that define me. So I can also say "I care about atoms for their own sake if they are sufficiently similar to me", even if I do not yet know what it would take for them to be sufficiently similar to me.
It's not that one has to have their one true definition all laid out before any progress can be made.
But if one cannot make any physical predictions if all atoms are "fleem" rather than not fleem, it's usually better to take a break from worrying about whether atoms are fleem. You might just be getting sidetracked by the ol' blegg/rube problem.
I can't make any physical prediction from the fact that I am myself, rather than someone else. It doesn't stop me from caring about myself more than about other people.
I think you are confusing a lack of highly available consequences of being you, with a known lack of consequences.
Unless I am mistaken, the best theory of how to make FAI ultimately points back to my (and all y'all's) ideas and preferences.
So I guess we should taboo FAI.
I'd argue that you have no better idea of what physical properties correspond to consciousness than I do, you've simply chosen to ignore the question, because you believe you can rely on your own intuitive consciousness-detector.
I am worried about bias. Shouldn't we all be?