I like that post a lot, too. Putting compatibilism into the context of modern physics. One does not need to worry about physics when dealing with human interactions, and vice versa. Those are different levels of abstraction, different models. The problem arises when one goes outside the domain of validity of a given model without realizing it. And I see the AI alignment work as crossing that boundary. Counterfactuals are a perfectly fine concept when looking to make better decisions. They are a hindrance when trying to prove theorems about decision making. Hence my original point about blind spots.
I think Sean Carroll does a pretty good job, e.g. in Free Will Is As Real As Baseball.
I like that post a lot, too. Putting compatibilism into the context of modern physics. One does not need to worry about physics when dealing with human interactions, and vice versa. Those are different levels of abstraction, different models. The problem arises when one goes outside the domain of validity of a given model without realizing it. And I see the AI alignment work as crossing that boundary. Counterfactuals are a perfectly fine concept when looking to make better decisions. They are a hindrance when trying to prove theorems about decision making. Hence my original point about blind spots.