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gjm comments on Crazy Ideas Thread - Less Wrong Discussion

22 Post author: Gunnar_Zarncke 07 July 2015 09:40PM

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Comment author: gjm 14 July 2015 11:08:40AM 1 point [-]

#1 sounds like it might be an interesting question, but I'm not sure I understand it. A large part of my "aversion to death" is simply the fact that I have things I want to do in the future. Is this hypothetical treatment meant to get rid of that? (Surely not, right?) If not, what exactly is being eliminated? Just some visceral reaction of horror at the thought of death? What about aversion to other people's deaths?

(My immediate reaction: Yes, of course I would take it; whyever wouldn't I?)

#2 sounds rather culty, but in any case I doubt it would work. If you want a "rationality for housewives[1]" series, I think you need to write one; the LW "Sequences" are written for a particular kind of audience and I don't think its intersection with housewives is very large.

[1] I'm not sure "housewives" is the best term, unless you really want to exclude any men who happen to be filling that role. Homemakers?

With #3, don't you think the evolutionary process would be impractically slow?