yes haha a lot of this is an elaboration on "rationalists should win"
like agh if we think we're so right about everything let's use it to make our lives amazing already
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Totally!! The big question mark is how do we moneymake with it?
Seems like a good thing to do is to come to an understanding, at least tentative, of what we believe is Definitely Valuable. Then see if we can monetize providing that
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Ironically I kinda see coaching in this light, though only if people end up better off in a real way. Then defining that still feels a little tricky, like maybe I'd have to understand the nature of the Good fully to know what "in a real way" means
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There is something here that feels fraught and really worth examining.
For ex: seems strange NOT to acknowledge that greater life satisfaction, ease, relaxation are intrinsic goods, yet if they come at the expense of generativity and engagement-with-the-world seems wirehead-y
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So what do, since because of this there *does* seem to be a risk of wireheadiness with offering coaching or circling?
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there's a bit where says explicitly "All things being equal, human beings are ridiculously ANTI-wireheading" and i've been chewing on this
wireheading is not actually the failure mode i'm worried about with coaching etc, it's something a bit different
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i think helping people feel happier etc. is actually highly compatible with increasing their engagement with the world, certainly i myself have been most engaged with the world when i felt the happiest
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Yeah, agreed! The wireheading worry could be put to bed once and for all I suppose if we became confident that it's inevitable that as people become happier they become more "engaged"
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Adding that I'm pretty sure there's lots here I'm confused about and I don't know how to talk about it cleanly yet.
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yeah def all this stuff is v much on my edge of being able to think / feel / talk about
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there are case studies to look at. somebody suggested on here that we look into the history of the human potential movement from the '60s which seems relevant