My response is, evolution! Let’s say a genuinely (what ever that means) altruistic entity exists. He then is uploaded. He then observed that not all entities are fully altruistic, in other words they will want to take resources from others. In any contest over resources this puts the altruistic entity at a disadvantage (he is spending resources helping others that he could use to defend himself). With potentially mega intelligent entities any weakness is serious. He realises that very quickly he will be eliminated if he doesn’t fix this weakness. He either fixes the weakness (becomes selfish) or he accepts his elimination. Note that uploaded entities are likely to be very paranoid, after all when one is eliminated, a potentially immortal life is eliminated, so they should have very low discount rates. You might be a threat to me in a million years, so if I get the chance I should eliminate you now.
If your answer is that the altruistic entities will be able to use cooperation to defend themselves against the selfish ones, you must realise there is nothing to stop a genuinely selfish entity from pretending to be altruistic. And the altruistic entities will know this.
I don’t think that most people realise that the reason we can work as a society is that we have hardwired cooperation genes in us, and we know that. We are not altruistic through choice. Allow us to make the decision on whether to be altruistic and the game theory becomes very different.
Nick
My response is, evolution! Let’s say a genuinely (what ever that means) altruistic entity exists. He then is uploaded. He then observed that not all entities are fully altruistic, in other words they will want to take resources from others. In any contest over resources this puts the altruistic entity at a disadvantage (he is spending resources helping others that he could use to defend himself). With potentially mega intelligent entities any weakness is serious. He realises that very quickly he will be eliminated if he doesn’t fix this weakness. He either fixes the weakness (becomes selfish) or he accepts his elimination. Note that uploaded entities are likely to be very paranoid, after all when one is eliminated, a potentially immortal life is eliminated, so they should have very low discount rates. You might be a threat to me in a million years, so if I get the chance I should eliminate you now.
If your answer is that the altruistic entities will be able to use cooperation to defend themselves against the selfish ones, you must realise there is nothing to stop a genuinely selfish entity from pretending to be altruistic. And the altruistic entities will know this.
I don’t think that most people realise that the reason we can work as a society is that we have hardwired cooperation genes in us, and we know that. We are not altruistic through choice. Allow us to make the decision on whether to be altruistic and the game theory becomes very different.