Thanks Wei for these interesting comments. Whether humans can “solve” ontological crises clearly depends one’s definition of “solve”. Although there’s arguably a clear best solution for de Blanc’s corridor example, it’s far from clear that there is any behavior that deserves being called a “solution” if the ontological update causes the entire worldview of the rational agent to crumble, revealing the goal to have been fundamentally confused and undefined beyond repair. That’s what I was getting at with my souls example.
As to what Nick’s views are, I plan to ask him about this when I see him tomorrow.
Thanks Wei for these interesting comments. Whether humans can “solve” ontological crises clearly depends one’s definition of “solve”. Although there’s arguably a clear best solution for de Blanc’s corridor example, it’s far from clear that there is any behavior that deserves being called a “solution” if the ontological update causes the entire worldview of the rational agent to crumble, revealing the goal to have been fundamentally confused and undefined beyond repair. That’s what I was getting at with my souls example.
As to what Nick’s views are, I plan to ask him about this when I see him tomorrow.