“Oh my God,” you think. “It’s not that I have a rational little homunculus inside that is being ‘corrupted’ by all these evolved heuristics and biases layered over it. No, the data are saying that the software program that is me just is heuristics and biases. I just am this kluge of evolved cognitive modules and algorithmic shortcuts. I’m not an agent designed to have correct beliefs and pursue explicit goals; I’m a crazy robot built as a vehicle for propagating genes without spending too much energy on expensive thinking neurons.”
Two: Good point. Social goals and nonsocial goals are only rarely at odds with one another, so this may not be a particularly fruitful line of thought. Still, it is possible that the idea of rational “irrationality” is neglected here.
I agree with you on Lukeprog’s description being a good one. I’m curious about whether HungryTurtle agrees with this description, too, or whether he’s using a more specific sense of “irrational.”
Social goals and nonsocial goals are only rarely at odds with one another
hahah than why is smoking cool for many people? Why is binge drinking a sign of status in American colleges? Why do we pull all nighters and damage our health for the pursuit of the perfect paper, party, or performance.
Social goals are a large portion of the time at odds with individual health goals.
I’m probably generalizing too much from my own experience, which is social pressure to get educated and practice other forms of self-improvement. I’ve never actually seen anyone who considers binge drinking a good thing, so I had just assumed that was the media blowing a few isolated cases out of proportion. I could easily be wrong though.
One: I think Lukeprog says it pretty well here:
Two: Good point. Social goals and nonsocial goals are only rarely at odds with one another, so this may not be a particularly fruitful line of thought. Still, it is possible that the idea of rational “irrationality” is neglected here.
This seems implausible on the face of it, as goals in general tend to conflict. Especially to the extent that resources are fungible.
I agree with you on Lukeprog’s description being a good one. I’m curious about whether HungryTurtle agrees with this description, too, or whether he’s using a more specific sense of “irrational.”
hahah than why is smoking cool for many people? Why is binge drinking a sign of status in American colleges? Why do we pull all nighters and damage our health for the pursuit of the perfect paper, party, or performance.
Social goals are a large portion of the time at odds with individual health goals.
I’m probably generalizing too much from my own experience, which is social pressure to get educated and practice other forms of self-improvement. I’ve never actually seen anyone who considers binge drinking a good thing, so I had just assumed that was the media blowing a few isolated cases out of proportion. I could easily be wrong though.