[extropy-chat] Mature rationality

[Max M]

Eliezer Yudkowsky wrote:

> Anyone who wishes to make a serious commitment to rationality, to 
> learn it as an art the way that judo or fencing is an art, must commit 
> to being rational all the time, every time, twenty four hours a day 
> seven days a week, with not a single area of life reserved for 
> relaxing with some comfortable nonsense, not one place left where that 
> darned inconvenient rationality business can't stomp all over the 
> things you want to believe. 


The problem with rationality is that we are emotional beasts. You cannot 
use complete rationalism for anything.

There is no rational reason to create a super intelligence, as it all 
rest on the premise that life is a good thing. But from a rational point 
of view it isn't.

Only life itself cares whether life existst or not. And that premise is 
based entirely on feelings.

Eg. there is no rational reason to keep on living at all. Yet I would 
beg to differ ;-)

Furthermore we are imperfect beings. So while we might know rationally 
what to do, it can be very hard to actually do the right thing. But we 
are usually bright enough to understand that we are not doing the right 
thing. Like eating too much, excersising too little, spending too much 
money on unnessecary things etc.

So if you expect yourself to act completely rational, you will only get 
depressed as you discover your own inadeqacies.

Besides, acting rational while working, thinking discovering etc. is 
exciting, but sports, sex, love, food etc. is fun. I won't forsake what 
is fun for rationality.

-- 

hilsen/regards Max M, Denmark

http://www.mxm.dk/
IT's Mad Science