I happen to have been born at what looks like a rather special time in the evolution of the human race, and I also happen to be smart enough to understand this fact when most other people don’t, which seems a priori ridiculously unlikely if my reference class is the set of all humans, or even of all humans in the same region of personality and intelligence space. This induces various bits of anthropic paranoia, such as “I am in fact a simulation designed to get to the bottom of human values by an AI”.
versus
I have a tail
perhaps my intuition for “strange” requires more high-grade strangeness than yours does, but I really don’t think that there’s much of a contest here. Having a tail wouldn’t disturb me anywhere near as much as the above does. Even being in denial about having a tail wouldn’t disturb me anywhere near as much as the above already does.
Perhaps I am optimizing for “disturbing” here. Sure, it would be strange if by some fluke a particular jellyfish had been involved in a crucial way in the evolution of human intelligence by stinging a monkey who went swimming in the sea and causing a particular brain structure change, or if Barack Obama was a closet furry, but it wouldn’t disturb me in the slightest.
It wouldn’t even surprise me if Barack Obama were a closet furry. But maybe I’m generalizing from one example.
Anyway, if you selected a random human out of all humans that have ever lived up to right now, what do you think is the probability that you would select a living one? I’d bet more than 1%.
It wouldn’t even surprise me if Barack Obama were a closet furry.
It would surprise me. I’m pretty sure closet furries are pretty rare. I just wouldn’t be more surprised than that about any other given person.
Anyway, if you selected a random human out of all humans that have ever lived up to right now, what do you think is the probability that you would select a living one?
From what I’ve read, estimates vary from 5% to 10%.
I think “you have a tail” is stranger.
versus
perhaps my intuition for “strange” requires more high-grade strangeness than yours does, but I really don’t think that there’s much of a contest here. Having a tail wouldn’t disturb me anywhere near as much as the above does. Even being in denial about having a tail wouldn’t disturb me anywhere near as much as the above already does.
Perhaps I am optimizing for “disturbing” here. Sure, it would be strange if by some fluke a particular jellyfish had been involved in a crucial way in the evolution of human intelligence by stinging a monkey who went swimming in the sea and causing a particular brain structure change, or if Barack Obama was a closet furry, but it wouldn’t disturb me in the slightest.
It wouldn’t even surprise me if Barack Obama were a closet furry. But maybe I’m generalizing from one example.
Anyway, if you selected a random human out of all humans that have ever lived up to right now, what do you think is the probability that you would select a living one? I’d bet more than 1%.
It would surprise me. I’m pretty sure closet furries are pretty rare. I just wouldn’t be more surprised than that about any other given person.
From what I’ve read, estimates vary from 5% to 10%.