Re: Goo prophylaxis

Eric Watt Forste (arkuat@pobox.com)
Thu, 28 Aug 1997 13:28:10 -0700

Nicholas Bostrom writes:
> i.e. it wants to organize as much matter as possible in the way
> that it think has most value. Except for possible strategic or
> ethical reasons, it makes no difference whether the matter is virgin
> territory or some other computer is has already organized the matter
> in a sub-optimal way.

This would presume that there is a decision procedure for
optimality, would it not? I have yet to run across any such
decision procedure; if you've got one, I'd be fascinated to
hear more about it.

If there is no decision procedure for optimality, then I think it
makes considerable difference whether the matter is homesteadable
frontier or someone else's property. Of course, this may be what
you meant by "strategic or ethical reasons", but I think the
questions go deeper than that, right into the heart of whatever
you intend as the referent of "optimal".

--
Eric Watt Forste ++ arkuat@pobox.com ++ expectation foils perception -pcd