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> We should be paying attention to it just in case it ends up mattering enormously. It's cheap insurance. This sounds a lot like the argument some people give
by nozzlegear 1mo ago
> We should be paying attention to it just in case it ends up mattering enormously. It's cheap insurance.
This sounds a lot like the argument some people give for praying and going to church even if you aren't a believer.
"You should be doing it just in case God ends up being real."
- ekidd 1mo agoOn the other hand, we have recently taught rocks to think about software engineering. And while not perfect, they're surprisingly good at it. Once you start building things that are even a little bit like minds, I suspect that it's worthwhile to consider that the future might end up looking a bit like science fiction. The alternative is to insist that Nothing Ever Happens, and the future won't get too weird. Which is no longer a bet I'm entirely comfortable with. Weirdness is at least a possibility.
- nozzlegear 1mo agoGod being real is also a possibility, so maybe we really should start praying. After all, he was allegedly making bushes and stones talk thousands of years before we did anything with thinking rocks.
- unrented7977 1mo agoBeing nice to other entities costs you nothing. Caring about others costs you nothing. Ironically, these are core tenents of ~most religions
- protonbob 1mo agoIronically, the story of the Bible is that caring about others can cost you an excruciating death.
- breezybottom 1mo agoIts only a possibility if you reject modern science.
- nozzlegear 1mo agoWhat science has proven, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that nothing comes after death? I'm sure most of the human race would be very interested to read the white paper.
- breezybottom 1mo agoScience has proven that the earth wasn't created by a magical fairy 6000 years ago, yes. There's very little doubt about that among educated people.
- nozzlegear 1mo agoI think even most religious people accept that bud, unless you're talking to a specific sect of evangelicals. It doesn't disprove religion or "magical fairies" [†] at all. [†] r/atheism circa 2016 called and want their dorky terminology back.
- breezybottom 1mo agoChristians don't believe they're made in the image of God? That's news to me.
- nozzlegear 1mo agoI think we've lost the plot, you were talking about the earth being made 6000 years ago and now you're talking about people being made in the image of god? You're just scrabbling for anything you think will score a cheap shot, when I'm not even Christian bro. Go try to dunk on someone who's at least half as emotionally invested in this as you are, goofball.
- tbugrara 1mo agoRight, but you can say that about literally anything can't you? We have to put our energy into leads. Where's the lead that model welfare matters?
- breezybottom 1mo agoSure if you think that AI spiraling out of control is equally as likely as a magical fairy in the cosmos.
- nozzlegear 1mo agoI do, make of that what you will.
- sidravi1 1mo agoPascal’s wager… but for the new AI gods
- hdgvhicv 1mo agoOf course you then have Roko’s Basilisk to consider.