Spencer GreenbergValue traps, how to avoid them
Propositions:
- You probably have multiple intrinsic values.
- Most people don’t know their intrinsic values
- It’s useful to now what your intrinsic values are
Intrinsic value
Something we value for itself, not merely for its consequences. We would continue to value these things even if it were to cause nothing else.
I’m confused by this, all values have consequences right? How can we ignore those when choosing our values?
What does it mean to value something?
- model of an agents behaviour, the closer it comes to predicting that behavior, the more its a value.
- part of the utility function.
Value is to be something though.
How do determine your intrinsic values
Something you might want to spread over the whole universe.
- Make sure you remove all possible consequences.
- Try to deeply understand the value, uncovering its layers.
- Try not to confuse with just getting pleasure (positive affect).
types of values. self: related to self community: related to community universal: everything else
You can guess if something is intrinsically valuable for other people by asking “would some people value this thing for its own sake, even if they get nothing else from it?” If the answer is “yes” then it’s probably an intrinsic value for some people. If the answer is “no” then it’s probably not.
My Intrinsic Values??
Deepen my understanding of the world