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I once heard a professor say that common sense is knowing when to make an exception. I wonder if this goes against the grain of machine learning systems which s
by hbarka 4y ago
I once heard a professor say that common sense is knowing when to make an exception. I wonder if this goes against the grain of machine learning systems which seeks to optimize the opposite of the exception.
- Animats 4y agoIntrospective definitions are not that useful. That's why I prefer "not screwing up badly" as the key property of common sense. It can be applied to observed behavior, animal or human. It's about having some way to predict the likely results of actions before doing them, and using that information to help choose actions.
- hbarka 4y agoAn anecdote was shared about a hospital janitor who was admonished for not mopping a patient’s room during the cleaning scheduled hours and it turns out this janitor was considerate about the patient’s family visiting their child, and therefore was doing the cleaning during the off-hours. The janitor was exercising common sense in consideration and empathy for the family. If the heuristic is not to screw up badly then we would all be selfish.