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I realize this sentiment won't be popular, but I feel it must be said: I'm glad he's happy, but it's sad that this man didn't live up to his potential. There i

by chroma 13y ago

I realize this sentiment won't be popular, but I feel it must be said: I'm glad he's happy, but it's sad that this man didn't live up to his potential. There is an unimaginable amount of suffering in this world. Around 150,000 people die each day. About 5 million children die each year. Millions of people are maimed or killed by accident, disease, and violence. Considering this man's talents, I would much rather live in a world where he devoted himself to solving important problems. I realize he wouldn't be as happy, but the expected value in lives saved is quite high. Before anyone accuses me of hypocrisy: I follow my own advice. I've chosen a career geared toward maximizing my benefit to others, not my own happiness. This quote from Circular Altruism[1] reflects my views: You know what? This isn't about your feelings. A human life, with all its joys and all its pains, adding up over the course of decades, is worth far more than your brain's feelings of comfort or discomfort with a plan. Does computing the expected utility feel too cold-blooded for your taste? Well, that feeling isn't even a feather in the scales, when a life is at stake. Just shut up and multiply. If enough people choose to do this, who knows what might happen? Maybe one day humanity will have its shit together. 1. http://lesswrong.com/lw/n3/circular_altruism/ http://lesswrong.com/lw/n3/circular_altruism/

qt31415926 13y ago
Given his upbringing, I would say he never had the potential in the first place. From how he talks about his time at NASA, it seems like he was used as an equation-solving tool 10 years. “At that time, I led my life like a machine ― I woke up, solved the daily assigned equation, ate, slept, and so forth. I really didn’t know what I was doing, and I was lonely and had no friends,” His choices now are the result of how NASA as an institution treated him. Having the highest IQ is great for problem solving. But why should he empathize with the problems of the world when no one did the same for him?
dan00 13y ago
> There is an unimaginable amount of suffering in this world. Around 150,000 people die each day. About 5 million children die each year. Millions of people are maimed or killed by accident, disease, and violence. Considering this man's talents, I would much rather live in a world where he devoted himself to solving important problems. I realize he wouldn't be as happy, but the expected value in lives saved is quite high. Most human suffering isn't just solved by smart people thinking hard about solving some problems. Most human suffering is caused by missing compassion for people. > I've chosen a career geared toward maximizing my benefit to others, not my own happiness. Sorry, but I don't think that's the case. You're doing what you do, because it feels right for you, so in a way you can't get happier by doing something else. You might not follow the hedonistic path, but you're still doing what makes you most happy.
jib 13y ago
You are applying your values to his life. You're of course welcome to do so, just realise that he has no obligation or reason to accept your judgement. It sounds like you do accept that which is great. To me it is not sad that he has chosen to figure out what his own goals are and find a way to meet them. To you it is sad. Both those things are ok. If you were to try to tell me that it is not ok for someone to figure out what their own goals are then I would have a problem with that.
eli_gottlieb 13y ago
And you think your suffering and your life aren't on the scales? If you want to apply that argument you need to show that your individual, marginal contribution to the world's problems is large enough to justify burning up your life and soul for everyone else's benefit. >Considering this man's talents, I would much rather live in a world where he devoted himself to solving important problems. I realize he wouldn't be as happy, but the expected value in lives saved is quite high. I'm sure you have some problems in mind :rollseyes:.
arh68 13y ago
I want to agree with you. >Considering this man's talents, I would much rather live in a world where he devoted himself to solving important problems. How do you realistically see this going down? Which specific problem should he work on? If this were World's Strongest Man, it'd be laughable to ask them to cure something like malaria. Yet you expect it of this World's _____est Man? >I realize he wouldn't be as happy, but the expected value in lives saved is quite high. I'm glad you recognize the sacrifice. Perhaps he did the cost analysis, found an expected +0.7 human life experiences net gain, and settled for the guaranteed +1.0?
Kronopath 13y ago
What do you work in? I'm not looking to judge, just curious, as I've been having similar thoughts lately.

by chroma 13y ago

qt31415926 13y ago

Given his upbringing, I would say he never had the potential in the first place. From how he talks about his time at NASA, it seems like he was used as an equation-solving tool 10 years. “At that time, I led my life like a machine ― I woke up, solved the daily assigned equation, ate, slept, and so forth. I really didn’t know what I was doing, and I was lonely and had no friends,” His choices now are the result of how NASA as an institution treated him. Having the highest IQ is great for problem solving. But why should he empathize with the problems of the world when no one did the same for him?

dan00 13y ago

> There is an unimaginable amount of suffering in this world. Around 150,000 people die each day. About 5 million children die each year. Millions of people are maimed or killed by accident, disease, and violence. Considering this man's talents, I would much rather live in a world where he devoted himself to solving important problems. I realize he wouldn't be as happy, but the expected value in lives saved is quite high. Most human suffering isn't just solved by smart people thinking hard about solving some problems. Most human suffering is caused by missing compassion for people. > I've chosen a career geared toward maximizing my benefit to others, not my own happiness. Sorry, but I don't think that's the case. You're doing what you do, because it feels right for you, so in a way you can't get happier by doing something else. You might not follow the hedonistic path, but you're still doing what makes you most happy.

jib 13y ago

You are applying your values to his life. You're of course welcome to do so, just realise that he has no obligation or reason to accept your judgement. It sounds like you do accept that which is great. To me it is not sad that he has chosen to figure out what his own goals are and find a way to meet them. To you it is sad. Both those things are ok. If you were to try to tell me that it is not ok for someone to figure out what their own goals are then I would have a problem with that.

eli_gottlieb 13y ago

And you think your suffering and your life aren't on the scales? If you want to apply that argument you need to show that your individual, marginal contribution to the world's problems is large enough to justify burning up your life and soul for everyone else's benefit. >Considering this man's talents, I would much rather live in a world where he devoted himself to solving important problems. I realize he wouldn't be as happy, but the expected value in lives saved is quite high. I'm sure you have some problems in mind :rollseyes:.

arh68 13y ago

I want to agree with you. >Considering this man's talents, I would much rather live in a world where he devoted himself to solving important problems. How do you realistically see this going down? Which specific problem should he work on? If this were World's Strongest Man, it'd be laughable to ask them to cure something like malaria. Yet you expect it of this World's _____est Man? >I realize he wouldn't be as happy, but the expected value in lives saved is quite high. I'm glad you recognize the sacrifice. Perhaps he did the cost analysis, found an expected +0.7 human life experiences net gain, and settled for the guaranteed +1.0?

Kronopath 13y ago

What do you work in? I'm not looking to judge, just curious, as I've been having similar thoughts lately.