What other mechanisms have you compared it to?
To a lack of any.
How do you define “pain” in a general case?
Sharp negative reinforcement in a behavioristic learning process.
How does one define unnecessary pain?
Useless/inefficient for the necessary learning purposes.
Does boredom counts as a necessary pain?
Depends on the circumstances. When boredom is inevitable and there’s nothing I can do about it, I would prefer to be without it.
How far in the future do you have to trace the consequences before deciding that a certain discomfort is unnecessary?
Same time range in which my utility function operates.
(EDIT: I’m sorry, I should have asked you for your own answers to your questions first. Stupid me.)
To a lack of any.
Sharp negative reinforcement in a behavioristic learning process.
Useless/inefficient for the necessary learning purposes.
Depends on the circumstances. When boredom is inevitable and there’s nothing I can do about it, I would prefer to be without it.
Same time range in which my utility function operates.
(EDIT: I’m sorry, I should have asked you for your own answers to your questions first. Stupid me.)