Well, I must confess I was initially arguing in gamelike fashion—just to see what your next move might be—but I fell into my own trap door, and I’m really unsure that
1) this isn’t a cult,
and that
2) that would be a bad thing.
That is, who cares if we have mutually reinforcing behaviors etc.? What matters is whether these are good mutually reinforcing behaviors, and that we evaluate their goodness from a non-tautological (i.e. external) perspective. (That is, I’d distinguish between circles and vicious circles.)
I don’t know whether or not that’s part of your point. I suppose I shouldn’t care. But it’s certainly what the idealized Eliezer Yudkowsky in my head thinks. I certainly hope you’re as smart as he is. ;)
Ian C.,
If I had a hammer that seemed to me to work really well, but no one was willing to pay me the going rate for hammers of that quality, would it really be ridiculous for me to seriously question the accuracy of my perception of the hammer?
Well, I must confess I was initially arguing in gamelike fashion—just to see what your next move might be—but I fell into my own trap door, and I’m really unsure that 1) this isn’t a cult, and that 2) that would be a bad thing.
That is, who cares if we have mutually reinforcing behaviors etc.? What matters is whether these are good mutually reinforcing behaviors, and that we evaluate their goodness from a non-tautological (i.e. external) perspective. (That is, I’d distinguish between circles and vicious circles.)
I don’t know whether or not that’s part of your point. I suppose I shouldn’t care. But it’s certainly what the idealized Eliezer Yudkowsky in my head thinks. I certainly hope you’re as smart as he is. ;)
Ian C.,
If I had a hammer that seemed to me to work really well, but no one was willing to pay me the going rate for hammers of that quality, would it really be ridiculous for me to seriously question the accuracy of my perception of the hammer?