Are you familiar with Kelly betting? The point of maximizing log expectation instead of pure expectation isn’t because happiness grows on a logarithmic scale or whatever, it’s for the sake of maximizing long-term expected value. This kills off making bets where “0” is on the table (as log(0) is minus infinity); whether or not that’s appropriate is still an interesting topic for discussion because, as you mentioned, x-risks exist anyway
it’s for the sake of maximizing long-term expected value.
Kelly betting does not maximize long-term expected value in all situations. For example, if some bets are offered only once (or even a finite amount), then you can get better long-term expected utility by sometimes accepting bets with a potential “0”-Utility outcome.
Are you familiar with Kelly betting? The point of maximizing log expectation instead of pure expectation isn’t because happiness grows on a logarithmic scale or whatever, it’s for the sake of maximizing long-term expected value. This kills off making bets where “0” is on the table (as log(0) is minus infinity); whether or not that’s appropriate is still an interesting topic for discussion because, as you mentioned, x-risks exist anyway
Kelly betting does not maximize long-term expected value in all situations. For example, if some bets are offered only once (or even a finite amount), then you can get better long-term expected utility by sometimes accepting bets with a potential “0”-Utility outcome.