I wonder. I grew up with experience in multiple systems of meditation, and found a way that works for me. Without electrodes or drugs or Nobel Prizes, I can choose to feel happy and relaxed and whatever. When I think about it, meditation can feel more pleasing and satisfying than every other experience in my life. Yet (luckily?) I do not feel any compulsion to do that in place of many other things, or try to advocate it. This is not because of willpower. While it lasts I like and want it, as if there's fulfillment of purpose, and when it's over I cannot r...
I already believe this. And I feel the closest thing I have to a "meaning/purpose" is the very drive to live, which would be pointless in the eyes of an unsympathetic alien. But I don't feel depressed, just not too happy about this. And the pointlessness and horror of my existence and experience is itself interesting, the realization fun, just like those who love maths for the sake of itself as opposed to other concerns can also be very darkly intrigued by Godel's incompleteness proof, instead of losing heart. Frustrated, yes. But I would not com...
May I suggest that Plato's words carry some different and non-obvious sensibility, that has little to do with the outside vs inside, if we take the original text and the circumstances into account? For, in that age, people had fewer reasons to believe the physicality of the individual. They saw dead people remain dead, but that's pretty much all of it. And they had more motives to believe in the soul, because there's no scientific transhumanism, and religion was their only hope of personal immortality. So the introspecting self may feel that just as it ha...
IMO a fun project (for those like me who like this but are clearly not smart enough to be part of a Singularity developing team): create an object-based environment with maybe rule-based reproductive agents, with customizable explicit world rules (as in a computer game, not as in physics) and let them evolve. Maybe users across the world can add new magical artifacts and watch the creatures fail hilariously...
On a more related note, the post sounds ominous for any hope of a general AI. There may be no clear distinction between protein computer and just pro...
self-control is inherently aggravating
Thanks for pointing it out (by science!)-- a lot of people who wish to perfect their personality should know it. I didn't consciously know it, but developed a mental discipline of acknowledging anger in my tormented teens anyway. People who hold intuitive ideals about "perfection of humanity/personality" should learn neuroscience, lest they suppose that things they ought to do (control themselves) must bring happiness. They may be confused when they experience that anger, and either conclude that they are ...
Similar ideas as Eliezer can occur to people without proper physics, experimental spirit or understanding of the brain (but I am not sure I can say "without rationality", as the Art may not be what I think it to be). I mean,some Indian spiritual traditions have explicitly stated that although you feel and believe that you have a real self, although you feel your existence as an entity strongly, this is not acceptable evidence for the existence of your "self". This is their key to selflessness. In other words, you may feel your existenc...
Concerning many comments already here that I am not sure which one I should reply to:
Never an argument to warrant violence? Or OK against superintelligences but NO against humans? Do not suppose there's a sharp line between human and superintelligence situations. To me some of you may well be akin to superintelligences, that I cannot outwit. No absolute line between argument and verbal abuse either, when I think about it. Also, I think I have some examples of dangerous/disgusting arguments - nothing exists, you should die, your consciousness doesn't exist ... (read more)