I mostly agree with your practical conclusion, however I don’t see purchasing fuzzies and utilons separately as an instance of irrationality per se. As a rationalist, you should model the inside of your brain accurately and admit that some things you would like to do might actually be beyond your control to carry out. Purchasing fuzzies would then be rational for agents with certain types of brains. “Oh well, nobody’s perfect” is not the right reason to purchase fuzzies; rather, upon reflection, this appears to be the best way for you to maximize utilons long term. Maybe this is only a language difference (you tell me), but I think it might be more than that.
I agree. Getting warm and fuzzies is not instrumentally irrational. We should just accept that our goal values are not purely altruistic, and that we value a unit of happiness for ourselves more than for strangers. As far as I can tell this is not irrational at all.
I mostly agree with your practical conclusion, however I don’t see purchasing fuzzies and utilons separately as an instance of irrationality per se. As a rationalist, you should model the inside of your brain accurately and admit that some things you would like to do might actually be beyond your control to carry out. Purchasing fuzzies would then be rational for agents with certain types of brains. “Oh well, nobody’s perfect” is not the right reason to purchase fuzzies; rather, upon reflection, this appears to be the best way for you to maximize utilons long term. Maybe this is only a language difference (you tell me), but I think it might be more than that.
I agree. Getting warm and fuzzies is not instrumentally irrational. We should just accept that our goal values are not purely altruistic, and that we value a unit of happiness for ourselves more than for strangers. As far as I can tell this is not irrational at all.