[ExI] Man’s Greatest Achievement – Nikola Tesla on Akashic engineering and the future of humanity

Anders Sandberg anders at aleph.se
Thu Dec 3 20:21:55 UTC 2015


On 2015-12-03 15:07, Giulio Prisco wrote:
> Anders: " But what the good is, and how to justify it, is more divergent."
>
> That's not a bug, but a feature! What is good for me, is good for me,
> and what is good for you, is good for you. No need to justify.

But if what is good for me is bad for you, we do have a need for 
justification.

If I think pure happiness is good and try to convert all baryonic matter 
into little identical looping uploads in bliss, then you as a 
diversity-lover may have a problem. If you try to maximize the diversity 
of being, the negative utilitarian will be upset about how you are 
creating pain (and I think those atoms could be used for more 
bliss-boxes). And think we all think the guy who really enjoys torturing 
sentient, superintelligent dreams inside his roomy mind is sick and bad.


> Of course this doesn't mean that we can't discuss what is good and
> perhaps come to a common definition, but it does mean that you are (or
> should be) the ultimate arbiter of what you want to consider as good,
> and meaningful. Value and meaning are subjective experiences, and I am
> happy with that, makes teh world more interesting.

Not everybody agrees that they are subjective. And as the above examples 
show, these differences may matter across subjects.


-- 
Anders Sandberg
Future of Humanity Institute
Oxford Martin School
Oxford University




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