Re: “When you have a set of preferences that isn’t simple, there’s no point in thinking of it as a utility function.”
Sure there is—say you want to compare the utility functions of two agents. Or compare the parts of the agents which are independent of the utility function. A general model that covers all goal-directed agents is very useful for such things.
Re: “When you have a set of preferences that isn’t simple, there’s no point in thinking of it as a utility function.”
Sure there is—say you want to compare the utility functions of two agents. Or compare the parts of the agents which are independent of the utility function. A general model that covers all goal-directed agents is very useful for such things.