I’d still deny this. You need the right (wrong) fallacies to jump to those conclusions. Maybe the fallacies are easy to invent, or maybe our civilization ubiquitously primes people with them, but it still takes an extra and mistaken step.
I would call it a conundrum, rather than a fallacy. If my terminal values are impossible to satisfy in a materialistic world,then I’m just out of luck, not factually wrong.
What if the priming is developmental? I wonder if there’s any parents out there who have tried to bring up their kids with rational beliefs. E.g. No lies about “bunny heaven”; instead take the kid on a field-trip to a slaughterhouse. And if so, how did it effect how well adjusted the kids were?
For this to really work, I think it would require more cultural support than just one set of parents. Maybe something like the school system and interactive history museum Sachisuke wrote about?
I agree. I think it is the particularities of human psychology leads people to such conclusions. The gloomy conclusions are in no way inherent in the premises.
I’d still deny this. You need the right (wrong) fallacies to jump to those conclusions. Maybe the fallacies are easy to invent, or maybe our civilization ubiquitously primes people with them, but it still takes an extra and mistaken step.
I would call it a conundrum, rather than a fallacy. If my terminal values are impossible to satisfy in a materialistic world,then I’m just out of luck, not factually wrong.
What if the priming is developmental? I wonder if there’s any parents out there who have tried to bring up their kids with rational beliefs. E.g. No lies about “bunny heaven”; instead take the kid on a field-trip to a slaughterhouse. And if so, how did it effect how well adjusted the kids were?
Insulating children from death is a relatively modern behavior.
For a long time, most people grew up around killing animals for food, and there was still religion.
For this to really work, I think it would require more cultural support than just one set of parents. Maybe something like the school system and interactive history museum Sachisuke wrote about?
Of the people who voted this up, I am curious: How much of Sachisuke Masamura’s work have you read? PM me.
I agree. I think it is the particularities of human psychology leads people to such conclusions. The gloomy conclusions are in no way inherent in the premises.
I think Eliezer is claiming that human psychology does not lead to those conclusions; culturally transmitted errors are required.