If I were about to fall off a cliff, I would prefer that you satisfy your brain’s desire to pull me back by actually pulling me back, not by hacking your brain to believe you had pulled me back while I in fact plunge to my death. And if my body needs nutrients, I would rather satisfy my hunger by actually consuming nutrients, not by hacking my brain to believe I had consumed nutrients while my cells starve and die.
I suspect most people share those preferences.
That pretty much summarizes my objection to wireheading in the real world.
That said, if we posit a hypothetical world where my wireheading doesn’t have any opportunity costs (that is, everything worth doing is going to be done as well as I can do it or better, whether I do it or not), I’m OK with wireheading.
To be more precise, I share the sentiment that others have expressed that my brain says “Boo!” to wireheading even in that world. But in that world, my brain also says “Boo!” to not wireheading for most the same reasons, so that doesn’t weigh into my decision-making much, and is outweighed by my brain’s “Yay!” to enjoyable experiences.
Said more simply: if nothing I do can matter, then I might as well wirehead.
If I were about to fall off a cliff, I would prefer that you satisfy your brain’s desire to pull me back by actually pulling me back, not by hacking your brain to believe you had pulled me back while I in fact plunge to my death. And if my body needs nutrients, I would rather satisfy my hunger by actually consuming nutrients, not by hacking my brain to believe I had consumed nutrients while my cells starve and die.
I suspect most people share those preferences.
That pretty much summarizes my objection to wireheading in the real world.
That said, if we posit a hypothetical world where my wireheading doesn’t have any opportunity costs (that is, everything worth doing is going to be done as well as I can do it or better, whether I do it or not), I’m OK with wireheading.
To be more precise, I share the sentiment that others have expressed that my brain says “Boo!” to wireheading even in that world. But in that world, my brain also says “Boo!” to not wireheading for most the same reasons, so that doesn’t weigh into my decision-making much, and is outweighed by my brain’s “Yay!” to enjoyable experiences.
Said more simply: if nothing I do can matter, then I might as well wirehead.