There are many terms and concepts that don’t pay for themselves, though we might not agree on which ones. For example, I think Goedel’s Theorem is one of them… its cuteness and abstract splendor doesn’t offset the dumbness it invokes in people trying to apply it. “Consciousness” and “Free Will” are two more.
If the point here is to remove future objections to the idea that AI programs can make choices and still be deterministic, I guess that’s fair but maybe a bit pedantic.
Personally I provisionally accept the basic deterministic reductionist view that Eliezer has been sketching out. “Provisionally” because our fundamental view of reality and our place in it has gone through many transformations throughout history and it seems unlikely that exactly today is where such revelations end. But since we don’t know what might be next we work with what we have even though it is likely to look naive in retrospect from the future.
The viewpoint also serves to make me happy and relatively carefree… doing important things is fun, achieving successes is rewarding, helping people makes you feel good. Obsessive worry and having the weight of the world on one’s shoulders is not fun. “Do what’s fun” is probably not the intended lesson to young rationalists, but it works for me!
There are many terms and concepts that don’t pay for themselves, though we might not agree on which ones. For example, I think Goedel’s Theorem is one of them… its cuteness and abstract splendor doesn’t offset the dumbness it invokes in people trying to apply it. “Consciousness” and “Free Will” are two more.
If the point here is to remove future objections to the idea that AI programs can make choices and still be deterministic, I guess that’s fair but maybe a bit pedantic.
Personally I provisionally accept the basic deterministic reductionist view that Eliezer has been sketching out. “Provisionally” because our fundamental view of reality and our place in it has gone through many transformations throughout history and it seems unlikely that exactly today is where such revelations end. But since we don’t know what might be next we work with what we have even though it is likely to look naive in retrospect from the future.
The viewpoint also serves to make me happy and relatively carefree… doing important things is fun, achieving successes is rewarding, helping people makes you feel good. Obsessive worry and having the weight of the world on one’s shoulders is not fun. “Do what’s fun” is probably not the intended lesson to young rationalists, but it works for me!