I view values as action-determinants, the moment-to-moment internal tugs which steer my thinking and action. I cash out “values”/”subshards” as “contextually activated computations which are shaped into existence by past reinforcement, and which often steer towards their historical reinforcers.”
This is a considerably wider definition of “human values” than usually considered. For example, I might have a narrowly activated value against taking COVID tests, because past reinforcement slapped down my decision to do so after I tested positive and realized I’d be isolating all alone. (The testing was part of why I had to isolate, after all, so I infer that my credit assignment tagged that decision for down-weighting)
This unusual definitional broadness is a real cost, which is why I like talking about an anti-COVID-test subshard, instead of an anti-test “value.”
I view values as action-determinants, the moment-to-moment internal tugs which steer my thinking and action. I cash out “values”/”subshards” as “contextually activated computations which are shaped into existence by past reinforcement, and which often steer towards their historical reinforcers.”
This is a considerably wider definition of “human values” than usually considered. For example, I might have a narrowly activated value against taking COVID tests, because past reinforcement slapped down my decision to do so after I tested positive and realized I’d be isolating all alone. (The testing was part of why I had to isolate, after all, so I infer that my credit assignment tagged that decision for down-weighting)
This unusual definitional broadness is a real cost, which is why I like talking about an anti-COVID-test subshard, instead of an anti-test “value.”
Hmm, I think I’d say “I might feel an aversion…” there.
“Desires & aversions” would work in a context where the sign was ambiguous. So would “preferences”.