I will reluctantly concede this is logical. If you want to optimize for maximal happiness, find out what the minimal physical correlate of happiness is, and build tiny replicators that do nothing but have a great time. Drown the planet in them. You can probably justify the expense of building ships and ship builders with a promise of more maximized happiness on other planets.
But this is basically a Grey Goo scenario. Happy Goo.
Yes it’s a logical conclusion, yes it is repugnant, and I think it’s a reductio ad absurdum of the whole idea of optimizing for conscious states. An even more dramatic one than wild animal suffering.
I will reluctantly concede this is logical. If you want to optimize for maximal happiness, find out what the minimal physical correlate of happiness is, and build tiny replicators that do nothing but have a great time. Drown the planet in them. You can probably justify the expense of building ships and ship builders with a promise of more maximized happiness on other planets.
But this is basically a Grey Goo scenario. Happy Goo.
Yes it’s a logical conclusion, yes it is repugnant, and I think it’s a reductio ad absurdum of the whole idea of optimizing for conscious states. An even more dramatic one than wild animal suffering.