Re: Dyson (Was: Paths to Uploading)

KPJ (kpj@sics.se)
Mon, 11 Jan 1999 08:41:28 +0100

It appears as if "Eliezer S. Yudkowsky" <sentience@pobox.com> wrote:
|
|> "If we adopt the meme system that we should avoid killing then we need not
|> put lots of resources on avoid being killed (cf. Bosnia). Therefore, we
|> should avoid killing."
|
|I see. So, in other words, you're walking a totally predetermined
|trajectory where your current meme system determines the meme system
|you'll adopt next. (As adjusted for your innate instincts, of course.)

Ahh, the old question of Free Will pops up.

|Your walk takes into account no sort of objective right or wrong
|whatsoever, just your current set of prejudices. If your meme system
|told you to adopt a meme system that told you to nuke Cincinatti, you'd
|basically have no defense. If you'd been born a worshipper of Great
|Moloch, you'd stay that way until the end of time. You don't claim that
|the truth has anything to do with what you believe, so why should I lend
|credence to your beliefs, why should I think your beliefs are covariant
|with the truth?

Personally I use the meme system of scientific exploration called rational empirism. This system defines "truth" as the model matching the outer world and checks the truth value of the model by making experiments. I understand it has been rather successful during the last centuries.

|You could do anything, kill me or kiss your worst enemy, and deny that
|reasoning has anything to do with it. It appears as if your meme system
|makes you a sentience to avoid, maybe even to terminate with extreme
|prejudice. Thank you for the warning.

You appear to enter the Debate Mode. This normally indicates that I have somehow triggered the meme system into self-protection. Sorry about that.