Early on, before “Mind the terminology, here”, the ambiguity is intentional. That your terminal goals are not sacred is true both for “utility function end-values” and “actions that are ends unto themselves”.
Later on in the post, I am explicit about my usage and consistent with the LessWrong Wiki entry on Terminal Values (which is also dichotomous). Still, I understand that some people are likely to get annoyed: this is difficult to avoid when there is a phrase that means too many things.
For now, I think that the usage is explicit enough in the post, but I do appreciate your input.
Thanks!
Early on, before “Mind the terminology, here”, the ambiguity is intentional. That your terminal goals are not sacred is true both for “utility function end-values” and “actions that are ends unto themselves”.
Later on in the post, I am explicit about my usage and consistent with the LessWrong Wiki entry on Terminal Values (which is also dichotomous). Still, I understand that some people are likely to get annoyed: this is difficult to avoid when there is a phrase that means too many things.
For now, I think that the usage is explicit enough in the post, but I do appreciate your input.