Similarly, basilisks would work as motivation to develop a certain kind of FAI but there’s a ban on discussing them here. Why? Isn’t it worth credibly threatening to torture people for 50 years to eventually save some large number of future people from dust specks (or worse) by more rapidly developing FAI?
It’s possible that the harm to society of knowing about and expecting torture is greater than the benefit of using torture. In that case, torturing in absolute secret seems to be the way to maximize utility. Not particularly comforting.
A) It’s not credible
B)The basilisk only “works” on a very few people and as far as I can tell it only makes them upset and unhappy rather than working as hard as they can on FAI.
C) Getting people on your side is pretty important. Telling people they will be tortured if they don’t get on your side is not a very good move for a small organization.
It’s possible that the harm to society of knowing about and expecting torture is greater than the benefit of using torture. In that case, torturing in absolute secret seems to be the way to maximize utility. Not particularly comforting.
Um, the threat of torture only works if people know about the threat.
Similarly, basilisks would work as motivation to develop a certain kind of FAI but there’s a ban on discussing them here. Why? Isn’t it worth credibly threatening to torture people for 50 years to eventually save some large number of future people from dust specks (or worse) by more rapidly developing FAI?
It’s possible that the harm to society of knowing about and expecting torture is greater than the benefit of using torture. In that case, torturing in absolute secret seems to be the way to maximize utility. Not particularly comforting.
A) It’s not credible B)The basilisk only “works” on a very few people and as far as I can tell it only makes them upset and unhappy rather than working as hard as they can on FAI. C) Getting people on your side is pretty important. Telling people they will be tortured if they don’t get on your side is not a very good move for a small organization.
Um, the threat of torture only works if people know about the threat.