Curated. A lot could be said about this post and a lot is being said about this post (see the 111 comments on it), but a thing I find neat about it is that it continues the debate around an old idea that’s still important and perhaps cruxy for many.
Oneshotness is not new (not a new concept, not a new argument, not a new debate); yet it is a critical argument for alignment difficult, and is still contested, with implications for what people do. Having made many attempts to explain their side, I could imagine someone giving up and being like “the people who get it, get it, and those who don’t, don’t” and not bothering further to try to argue it. I lean that way. Eliezer admits frustration and the tone matches, but he’s still talking and writing with the hope of being convincing. People are responding, debating further. It’s heated and we’re in the realm of accusations of motivated cognition, strawmanning, motte & bailey, but in this post Eliezer is bringing object level arguments (e.g. analogies) in attempt to advance the conversation, and 111 comments later, conversation is being had. It might not be enough, but I think there are some dignity points in that.
Curated. A lot could be said about this post and a lot is being said about this post (see the 111 comments on it), but a thing I find neat about it is that it continues the debate around an old idea that’s still important and perhaps cruxy for many.
Oneshotness is not new (not a new concept, not a new argument, not a new debate); yet it is a critical argument for alignment difficult, and is still contested, with implications for what people do. Having made many attempts to explain their side, I could imagine someone giving up and being like “the people who get it, get it, and those who don’t, don’t” and not bothering further to try to argue it. I lean that way. Eliezer admits frustration and the tone matches, but he’s still talking and writing with the hope of being convincing. People are responding, debating further. It’s heated and we’re in the realm of accusations of motivated cognition, strawmanning, motte & bailey, but in this post Eliezer is bringing object level arguments (e.g. analogies) in attempt to advance the conversation, and 111 comments later, conversation is being had. It might not be enough, but I think there are some dignity points in that.