[ExI] Science confirms: Politics wrecks your ability to do math

[spike]

>. On Behalf Of Adrian Tymes
Subject: Re: [ExI] Science confirms: Politics wrecks your ability to do math

 

On Sun, Nov 3, 2013 at 12:57 PM, Anders Sandberg <anders at aleph.se> wrote:

>>.Worse, we are pretty numerate on this list. What horrific biases might we
harbour about things? (Looks worried at the energy quarrel and takes cover)

 

>.Indeed.  It is one's intellectual responsibility, to honesty, to recognize
such biases within oneself and accept when the data might prove that one's
own cherished opinions are wrong.

 

Ja.  It isn't even necessarily cherished opinions, but rather differing
initial assumptions.

 

Let us consider an example peculiar to the point of view of many of us here;
the inevitability of the singularity.  Even that can fall into differing
categories.  For normal people, there is no expectation of the singularity;
it just happens like the Spanish Inquisition.  For those of us aware of the
notion, we have those who think the singularity must happen, within the near
term, the next fifty years or so.  There are those who say such a thing
might happen that soon, but it might not: there might be some still unknown
something that makes the whole concept impossible with current technology.
There are those who think we have reached peak intelligence and we just
didn't quite make it to the singularity.

 

Look now at those three assumptions: no singularity, near term certainty of
singularity, and the maybes.  Can you see how different one's outlook is
deeply impacted by which of those three categories one belongs?  Which are
you?  I put myself in the third category: I can't convince myself the
singularity is a near term certainty, but it sure might happen.

 


>.Perhaps we can not fix this in most of humanity.  But each and every one
of us can fix this within ourselves, so that at least we avoid making the
problem worse...and perhaps inspire others to rise with us, that we can all
find agreement based on what actually is, regardless of what we wish would
be. 

 

Ja.  We can explain much of the current political struggle on differences in
assumptions regarding government debt.  There are those who believe
governments must eventually balance their books, and those who believe they
do not.  As a possible third category, we could imagine even if governments
do not ever balance their books, they must at least demonstrate they are
trying.  I put myself in the first category.  

 

spike

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