In Fund UberTool?, Robin Hanson talks about a hypothetical company that applies most of its resources to its own improvement until it would burst out and take over the world. He further asks what evidence it would take to convince you to invest in them.
This post goes straight to the heart of Pascal’s mugging, vast utilities that outweigh tiny probabilities. I could earn a lot by investing in such a company if it all works as promised. But should I do that? I have no idea.
What evidence would make me invest money into such a company? I am very risk averse. Given my inability to review mathematical proofs, and advanced technical proofs of concept, I’d probably hesitant and fear that they are bullshitting me.
By “a hypothetical company that applies most of its resources to its own improvement” do you mean a tech company? Because that’s exactly what tech companies do, and they seem to be pretty powerful, if not “take over the world” powerful. And I do invest in those companies.
In Fund UberTool?, Robin Hanson talks about a hypothetical company that applies most of its resources to its own improvement until it would burst out and take over the world. He further asks what evidence it would take to convince you to invest in them.
This post goes straight to the heart of Pascal’s mugging, vast utilities that outweigh tiny probabilities. I could earn a lot by investing in such a company if it all works as promised. But should I do that? I have no idea.
What evidence would make me invest money into such a company? I am very risk averse. Given my inability to review mathematical proofs, and advanced technical proofs of concept, I’d probably hesitant and fear that they are bullshitting me.
In the end I would probably not invest in them.
By “a hypothetical company that applies most of its resources to its own improvement” do you mean a tech company? Because that’s exactly what tech companies do, and they seem to be pretty powerful, if not “take over the world” powerful. And I do invest in those companies.