Why does my intuition reject wireheading? Well, I think it has something to do with the promotion of instrumental values to terminal values.
Some pleasures I value for themselves (terminal) - the taste of good food, for example. As it happens, I agree with you that there is no true justification for rejecting wireheading for these kinds of pleasures. The semblance of pleasure is pleasure.
But some things are valued because they provide me with the capability, ability, or power (instrumental) to do what I want to do, including experiencing those terminal pleasures. Examples are money, knowledge, physical beauty, athletic abilities, and interpersonal skills.
Evolution has programmed me to derive pleasure from the acquisition and maintenance of these instruments of power. So, a really thorough wireheading installation would make me delight in my knowledge, beauty, charisma, and athleticism—even if I don’t actually possess those attributes. And therein lies the problem. The semblance of power is not power.
What I am saying is that my intuitive rejection of wireheading arises because at least some of the pleasures that it delivers are a lie, a delusion. And I’m pretty sure that I don’t want to be deluded.
But do I really need power if all of my more basic terminal values are guaranteed? That doesn’t really matter. The way I am currently wired, I want the actual power—not just the terminal pleasure that the power can someday deliver, and certainly not just the satisfied feeling that believing that I am powerful can generate.
So, a really thorough wireheading installation would make me delight in my knowledge, beauty, charisma, and athleticism—even if I don’t actually possess those attributes. And therein lies the problem. The semblance of power is not power.
But you just said you value those things instrumentally, so you can get pleasurable sensations. Raw power itself doesn’t do anything for you, just sitting there.
What I am saying is that my intuitive rejection of wireheading arises because at least some of the pleasures that it delivers are a lie, a delusion.
I can see how, when considering being wireheaded, you would come to reject it based on that. Essentially, you’d see (e.g.) wireheaded power as not actually instrumentally useful, so you reject the offer. It sounds like snake-oil.
But isn’t that a false conclusion? It might feel like it, but you won’t actually feel any worse off when you’re completely wireheaded. Fake capabilities are a problem when interacting with agents who might exploit you, so the heuristic is certainly useful, but it fails in the case of wireheading that actually delivers on its promises.
You won’t need knowledge and power and so on when you’re in wirehead heaven, so wireheading can simply ignore or fake them.
(Disclaimer: muflax does not advocate giving up your autonomy to Omegas claiming to provide wirehead heaven. Said Omegas might, in fact, be lying. Caution is advised.)
Why does my intuition reject wireheading? Well, I think it has something to do with the promotion of instrumental values to terminal values.
Some pleasures I value for themselves (terminal) - the taste of good food, for example. As it happens, I agree with you that there is no true justification for rejecting wireheading for these kinds of pleasures. The semblance of pleasure is pleasure.
But some things are valued because they provide me with the capability, ability, or power (instrumental) to do what I want to do, including experiencing those terminal pleasures. Examples are money, knowledge, physical beauty, athletic abilities, and interpersonal skills.
Evolution has programmed me to derive pleasure from the acquisition and maintenance of these instruments of power. So, a really thorough wireheading installation would make me delight in my knowledge, beauty, charisma, and athleticism—even if I don’t actually possess those attributes. And therein lies the problem. The semblance of power is not power.
What I am saying is that my intuitive rejection of wireheading arises because at least some of the pleasures that it delivers are a lie, a delusion. And I’m pretty sure that I don’t want to be deluded.
But do I really need power if all of my more basic terminal values are guaranteed? That doesn’t really matter. The way I am currently wired, I want the actual power—not just the terminal pleasure that the power can someday deliver, and certainly not just the satisfied feeling that believing that I am powerful can generate.
Hope that helps.
But you just said you value those things instrumentally, so you can get pleasurable sensations. Raw power itself doesn’t do anything for you, just sitting there.
I can see how, when considering being wireheaded, you would come to reject it based on that. Essentially, you’d see (e.g.) wireheaded power as not actually instrumentally useful, so you reject the offer. It sounds like snake-oil.
But isn’t that a false conclusion? It might feel like it, but you won’t actually feel any worse off when you’re completely wireheaded. Fake capabilities are a problem when interacting with agents who might exploit you, so the heuristic is certainly useful, but it fails in the case of wireheading that actually delivers on its promises.
You won’t need knowledge and power and so on when you’re in wirehead heaven, so wireheading can simply ignore or fake them.
(Disclaimer: muflax does not advocate giving up your autonomy to Omegas claiming to provide wirehead heaven. Said Omegas might, in fact, be lying. Caution is advised.)
It does.