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Lumifer comments on Open Thread, Jul. 20 - Jul. 26, 2015 - Less Wrong Discussion

4 Post author: MrMind 20 July 2015 06:55AM

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Comment author: Lumifer 23 July 2015 07:47:46PM 1 point [-]

What are the odds that I'm a low-probability-branch Everett Immortality survivor?

Since you are posting, you know you are an Everett branch survivor. Whether that branch is low-probability is, of course, impossible to tell.

Do you think I should pay measurably more attention to such gut feelings in the future?

That depends on gut feelings, but I see no reason to update based on this particular incident.

What lessons, if any, are able to be drawn from these circumstances?

That you should not read the crime / police blotter sections of newspapers.

Comment author: DataPacRat 23 July 2015 09:17:00PM 0 points [-]

Whether that branch is low-probability is, of course, impossible to tell.

Hm... how sure should anyone be of that impossibility? For example, if the number of Everett branches isn't infinite, but merely, say, 10^120, then wouldn't it be hypothetically possible for a worldline that has relatively few other worldlines that are similar enough to interact on the quantum level to have to macroscopicly-observable effects?

I see no reason to update based on this particular incident.

Fair enough.

you should not read the crime / police blotter sections of newspapers.

I don't; the local region has a small enough population that the main newspaper has only a single section to cover all local stories. Unsubscribing from the RSS feed with local crime stories would also unsubscribe me from local politics, events, fluff, and so forth.

Comment author: Lumifer 23 July 2015 09:25:34PM -1 points [-]

merely, say, 10^120

The greatness of LW.

merely 10^120 :-D

I don't

Clearly, you do. I wasn't suggesting wearing blinders not to notice them, I suggested not reading them.