This is true, but implementing it as general policy may benefit from a multilevel world model, where you’re aware of the continuous underlying reality but set discrete thresholds anyway. The space of states may be nearly continuous, but that is true on many axes at once, whereas the number of actions we can take in a given window of time to move along those axes is bounded, and we need to make discrete choices of how to prioritize. And ideally, set aside time periodically to review the prioritization process. That last one seems to be where a lot of people stumble, recognizing that the approximations aren’t eternal.
My own experience is that in many contexts there models live in different peoples’ heads. Biologists and (most?) doctors know there is a spectrum of health, but use simpler discrete models for treatment decisions. It creates its own problems (when insurers and regulatory agencies enforce them rigidly, for example), but also lets them help more people on average.
This is true, but implementing it as general policy may benefit from a multilevel world model, where you’re aware of the continuous underlying reality but set discrete thresholds anyway. The space of states may be nearly continuous, but that is true on many axes at once, whereas the number of actions we can take in a given window of time to move along those axes is bounded, and we need to make discrete choices of how to prioritize. And ideally, set aside time periodically to review the prioritization process. That last one seems to be where a lot of people stumble, recognizing that the approximations aren’t eternal.
My own experience is that in many contexts there models live in different peoples’ heads. Biologists and (most?) doctors know there is a spectrum of health, but use simpler discrete models for treatment decisions. It creates its own problems (when insurers and regulatory agencies enforce them rigidly, for example), but also lets them help more people on average.