Boromir himself was an example of a character who was doing bad
You let an evil magic artifact of unimaginable power sway you for literally two minutes and that’s the only thing people remember you for, for the rest of eternity.
Heh. But, didn’t Boromir advocate using the ring as a weapon in the war with Sauron since the Council of Elrond? And wasn’t it implied that, even as he acquiesced, he was still hoping to sway the others to this course down the line?
What’s wrong with advocating a minority view, as long as you’re not acting against the consensus?
He first heard of the Ring at the Council. So did many of the others there. And yet he was the only one who asked the eminently rational question: why seek to destroy it and not use it? And was answered, essentially, “because that’s the way the plot goes, kthxbye”.
Offhand, I’m sure I could think of ways to use the Ring safely. The main problem is we’re never told what the Ring’s powers are; so the problem of using it safely is underspecified. The Council believed that by using the Ring one could win the war by main force. Making one invisible and possibly able to understand different tongues isn’t that interesting. It’s said to give more power to those who are already more powerful, and to tailor the specific powers to the specific individual, so more experimentation is in order.
The main problem is we’re never told what the Ring’s powers are; so the problem of using it safely is underspecified
According to a discussion on reddit I can’t currently find the idea was that the ring inncreased the power of ‘will’ in Tolkeins semi-mystical sense of exerting your will upon the world.
So in lesswrong terms you have the ability to more effectively fulfill your utility function, but it will be corrupted and drift towards that of the ring.
You let an evil magic artifact of unimaginable power sway you for literally two minutes and that’s the only thing people remember you for, for the rest of eternity.
Heh. But, didn’t Boromir advocate using the ring as a weapon in the war with Sauron since the Council of Elrond? And wasn’t it implied that, even as he acquiesced, he was still hoping to sway the others to this course down the line?
What’s wrong with advocating a minority view, as long as you’re not acting against the consensus?
He first heard of the Ring at the Council. So did many of the others there. And yet he was the only one who asked the eminently rational question: why seek to destroy it and not use it? And was answered, essentially, “because that’s the way the plot goes, kthxbye”.
Offhand, I’m sure I could think of ways to use the Ring safely. The main problem is we’re never told what the Ring’s powers are; so the problem of using it safely is underspecified. The Council believed that by using the Ring one could win the war by main force. Making one invisible and possibly able to understand different tongues isn’t that interesting. It’s said to give more power to those who are already more powerful, and to tailor the specific powers to the specific individual, so more experimentation is in order.
According to a discussion on reddit I can’t currently find the idea was that the ring inncreased the power of ‘will’ in Tolkeins semi-mystical sense of exerting your will upon the world.
So in lesswrong terms you have the ability to more effectively fulfill your utility function, but it will be corrupted and drift towards that of the ring.