Definition of “rationalism” from the Eggplant book draft. If you identify as a rationalist, I’m curious whether you find this accurate, and if not, why not?pic.twitter.com/2cvo7478fj
Better ways of thinking, feeling, and acting—around problems of meaning and meaninglessness; self and society; ethics, purpose, and value.
You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more
Add this Tweet to your website by copying the code below. Learn more
Add this video to your website by copying the code below. Learn more
By embedding Twitter content in your website or app, you are agreeing to the Twitter Developer Agreement and Developer Policy.
| Country | Code | For customers of |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 40404 | (any) |
| Canada | 21212 | (any) |
| United Kingdom | 86444 | Vodafone, Orange, 3, O2 |
| Brazil | 40404 | Nextel, TIM |
| Haiti | 40404 | Digicel, Voila |
| Ireland | 51210 | Vodafone, O2 |
| India | 53000 | Bharti Airtel, Videocon, Reliance |
| Indonesia | 89887 | AXIS, 3, Telkomsel, Indosat, XL Axiata |
| Italy | 4880804 | Wind |
| 3424486444 | Vodafone | |
| » See SMS short codes for other countries | ||
This timeline is where you’ll spend most of your time, getting instant updates about what matters to you.
Hover over the profile pic and click the Following button to unfollow any account.
When you see a Tweet you love, tap the heart — it lets the person who wrote it know you shared the love.
The fastest way to share someone else’s Tweet with your followers is with a Retweet. Tap the icon to send it instantly.
Add your thoughts about any Tweet with a Reply. Find a topic you’re passionate about, and jump right in.
Get instant insight into what people are talking about now.
Follow more accounts to get instant updates about topics you care about.
See the latest conversations about any topic instantly.
Catch up instantly on the best stories happening as they unfold.
Definition of “rationalism” from the Eggplant book draft. If you identify as a rationalist, I’m curious whether you find this accurate, and if not, why not?pic.twitter.com/2cvo7478fj
This seems to me like something I've run into before, Toolbox thinking that doesn't understand Law thinking. Wrote it up on FB here, might revise for LW2 later. cc @juliagalef. https://www.facebook.com/yudkowsky/posts/10156448871894228 …
So, maybe the crux here is “Once you define distance there is in fact a shortest path through the maze.” If you make a bunch of ontological assumptions, then probability theory applies—relative to those assumptions.
But in most situations, probability theory doesn’t work well, because reality isn’t like that. For one thing, there are no utilons in physics, so there is no objectively correct definition of distance.
My point is not just about tools, it’s about Law, in your terms. It is not the case that decision theory is the objectively correct (even if unachievable) account of reality. It’s not a correct account.
I'm having trouble imagining by what stretch of the imagination you could call decision theory an account of reality and then declare it to be false. What does a universe look like in which decision theory is 'true'?
I misunderstood you as saying that it was a true account of reality (and not merely useful in practice). I guess I am missing your point if that is not the case?
I'm missing your point because I don't understand what it means for decision theory to be a "true account of reality", and hence I can neither confirm nor deny that I believe this to be the case.
Oh well. I guess we’re both talking past each other. It’s a bit puzzling. I can usually eventually understand other people’s worldviews, but I find yours unusually resistant :)
(?) It sounds like 'true theory of reality' is something that could be occupied only by a final theory of physics. Decision theory just tells you the objectively best way of acting to satisfy a set of preferences.
“Objectively best” assuming a set of axioms is satisfied. There can sometimes be a bait-and-switch or motte-and-bailey here when you try to apply this to a concrete real-world situation.
Do you have a specific example in mind?
Well, to get decision theory to apply, you have to characterize the situation in terms of a set of well-defined actions, well-defined outcomes, well-defined goodnesses, and you need some meaningful way of estimating probabilities. None of those are objectively given.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.