Maybe kindness is also like this: there might be benefits to behaving kindly, in some situations. But a mind behaving kindly (pico-psuedokindly?) need not value kindness for its own sake, nor have any basic drive or instinct to kindness.
I feel like this is common enough—”are they helping me out here just because they’re really nice, or because they want to get in my good graces or have me owe them a favor?”—that authors often have fictional characters wonder if it’s one or the other. And real people certainly express similar concerns about, say, whether someone donates to charity for signaling purposes or for “altruism”.
Also reminds me:
“You don’t see nice ways to do the things you want to do,” Harry said. His ears heard a note of desperation in his own voice. “Even when a nice strategy would be more effective you don’t see it because you have a self-image of not being nice.”
“That is a fair observation,” said Professor Quirrell. “Indeed, now that you have pointed it out, I have just now thought of some nice things I can do this very day, to further my agenda.”
Harry just looked at him.
Professor Quirrell was smiling. “Your lesson is a good one, Mr. Potter. From now on, until I learn the trick of it, I shall keep diligent watch for cunning strategies that involve doing kindnesses for other people. Go and practice acts of goodwill, perhaps, until my mind goes there easily.”
Cold chills ran down Harry’s spine.
Professor Quirrell had said this without the slightest visible hesitation.
I feel like this is common enough—”are they helping me out here just because they’re really nice, or because they want to get in my good graces or have me owe them a favor?”—that authors often have fictional characters wonder if it’s one or the other. And real people certainly express similar concerns about, say, whether someone donates to charity for signaling purposes or for “altruism”.
That’s a good example, though I was originally thinking of an agent which behaves actually kindly, not because it expects any favor or reciprocation, nor because it is trying to manipulate the agent it is being kind to (or any other agent(s)) as part of some larger goal.
An agent might be capable of behaving in such a manner, as well as understanding the true and precise meaning of kindness, as humans understand it, but without having any of the innate drives or motivations which cause humans to behave kindly.
Such an agent might actually behave kindly despite lacking such drives though, for various reasons: perhaps an inclination to the kindness behavior pattern has somehow been hardcoded into the agent’s mind, or, if we’re in the world of HPMOR, the agent has taken some kind of Unbreakable Vow to behave kindly.
I feel like this is common enough—”are they helping me out here just because they’re really nice, or because they want to get in my good graces or have me owe them a favor?”—that authors often have fictional characters wonder if it’s one or the other. And real people certainly express similar concerns about, say, whether someone donates to charity for signaling purposes or for “altruism”.
Also reminds me:
That’s a good example, though I was originally thinking of an agent which behaves actually kindly, not because it expects any favor or reciprocation, nor because it is trying to manipulate the agent it is being kind to (or any other agent(s)) as part of some larger goal.
An agent might be capable of behaving in such a manner, as well as understanding the true and precise meaning of kindness, as humans understand it, but without having any of the innate drives or motivations which cause humans to behave kindly.
Such an agent might actually behave kindly despite lacking such drives though, for various reasons: perhaps an inclination to the kindness behavior pattern has somehow been hardcoded into the agent’s mind, or, if we’re in the world of HPMOR, the agent has taken some kind of Unbreakable Vow to behave kindly.