cowlinator
cowlinator t1_j3a4o3k wrote
Reply to Our ability to resist temptation depends on how fragmented one's mind is | On the inconsistencies in one’s mental setup by IAI_Admin
After I left religion, I completely stopped thinking of my decisions (and how they relate to my lofty goals vs primal drives) in terms of "temptation". It almost feels like a foreign concept to me anymore.
I think about why I'm making a choice, what effect it has, who it might harm/help, and whether it will make me happy. It comes much more naturally, and decisions don't feel like a struggle.
Trying to suppress thoughts or feelings is fruitless, because errant thoughts and desires that run counter to our goals are natural products of any human brain.
Instead, take them as valuable input, and then make your decision. Will you obey the errant thought, or will you proceed with your goal in spite of it? It doesn't matter either way, as long as you're happy with the outcome.
cowlinator t1_j2ubn3d wrote
Reply to comment by Rethious in Look on the dark side | We must keep the flame of pessimism burning: it is a virtue for our deeply troubled times, when crude optimism is a vice by ADefiniteDescription
> Pessimism will never be as motivating as telling people about the bright future ahead if they <xyz>
But this is a false dichotomy. There is no reason to tell people that they must do anything unless there is something to dread.
Example:
Assume that leading AI experts recommend halting advancement of super-human AI due to the danger of hostile AI.
"If you pass this law to prevent the further advancement of super-human AI, then the singularity will not reshape the world."
This does not mention any danger, and thus implies that if they do not prevent the advancement of super-human AI, there will likewise also be good consequences.
cowlinator t1_j1b8154 wrote
Reply to comment by boyyouguysaredumb in NASA captures a "snapshot in time" showing how a star is born among the Cosmic Cliffs by scot816
I only count 7 root-level comments right now, and 1 was removed.
cowlinator t1_j1a8qp7 wrote
The example is given that the jury trusted the pediatrician for statistics but wouldnt for engineering.
I think that sometimes people have a hard time even identifying which concerns fall into which disciplines in the first place.
The article states that pediatricians are novices at statistics, and frankly this surprised me. I did not know that a medical degree involves little knowledge of statistics. I would expect that a doctor should understand the principle of independence since it affects diagnosis.
cowlinator t1_iz4c07i wrote
Reply to comment by BOOaghost in How Death Can Help Us Live: a philosophical approach to the problem of death by simsquatched
> Adults are taught to focus on materiality. Children live in a much more fluid attitude.
My personal observations are of the exact opposite.
cowlinator t1_iz32tnr wrote
Reply to comment by BOOaghost in How Death Can Help Us Live: a philosophical approach to the problem of death by simsquatched
> Children have come from the place we return to at death.
Ok but how would a child know that?
"Mommy, where do babies come from-- wait neverminded I somehow fully understand where I came from."
cowlinator t1_iz32bz5 wrote
Reply to comment by Failninjaninja in How Death Can Help Us Live: a philosophical approach to the problem of death by simsquatched
> I think even at technological peak we would not be able to do what you are describing.
What is your basis for this?
> I think people are very off at how capable max technology will really be.
Yes, but that includes both overestimating and underestimating.
cowlinator t1_iz31xtn wrote
Reply to comment by moirasrosesgardens in How Death Can Help Us Live: a philosophical approach to the problem of death by simsquatched
A philosopher-type person named Jesus of Nazareth said "The poor you will always have with you". To date, we really don't have any practical solution to poverty.
But what if the solution to abject poverty is to stop seeing it as a problem?
cowlinator t1_iwmaqfa wrote
Reply to comment by Melodic_Antelope6490 in Defending myth as truth - The Garden of Eden — The Unconscious Self and a Moral World by Melodic_Antelope6490
...did you write the article or something? (if not, why defend it like this?)
> In such a time the distinction beyond that simply didn't exist.
It does now. We're reading the myth now.
cowlinator t1_iw1gsj0 wrote
Reply to comment by empty_string_ in Scientists Taught an AI to ‘Sleep’ So That It Doesn't Forget What It Learned, Like a Person. Researchers say counting sleep may be the best way for AIs to exhibit life-long learning. by mossadnik
It is analogous tho. We know that this is one of the purposes of sleep in biological brains.
Also, neural net memory is not stored as data in the same way that it is stored on a conventional computer. The memory is in the weights of the model of the network. This is not trivial to "save" or "load". I dont think such a thing has been done before
cowlinator t1_ivs0d0t wrote
Reply to comment by socialphobic1 in In a first, doctors treat fatal genetic disease before birth by 29PiecesOfSilver
The body uses DNA/RNA as a blueprint to make enzymes. If you have a genetic mutation, your body cant make the enzyme needed to live. So they put the enzyme in a pill needle and put it in your blood. Now your body has the enzyme
cowlinator t1_ive8pvd wrote
Reply to comment by RestlessAmbivert in Rooftop solar trumps all fossil fuels as renewables smash more records on main grid [Australia] by EnergyTransitionNews
Pumped hydroelectricity storage is 87% efficient, but requires huge reservoirs. A brand new lithium ion battery is 88% efficient, but this goes down significantly over the battery lifespan. The efficiency of mechanical gravity storage systems varies widely but is usually under 80%
cowlinator t1_ive7v1f wrote
Reply to comment by trankillity in Rooftop solar trumps all fossil fuels as renewables smash more records on main grid [Australia] by EnergyTransitionNews
People are talking about using bi-directional EV chargers to store your house's power. I dont know if anybody is actually doing this yet tho
cowlinator t1_ivc7tel wrote
Reply to comment by theo_radical in Michael Shermer argues that science can determine many of our moral values. Morality is aimed at protecting certain human desires, like avoidance of harm (e.g. torture, slavery). Science helps us determine what these desires are and how to best achieve them. by Ma3Ke4Li3
>Your (descriptive) pain does nothing to spur action in me.
Then you would be a rarity among humans.
Most humans who observe outward obvious indications of suffering are often innately compelled to action. We call this "sympathy", and it even comes with rational justifications.
cowlinator t1_j3abmqx wrote
Reply to comment by humbleElitist_ in Our ability to resist temptation depends on how fragmented one's mind is | On the inconsistencies in one’s mental setup by IAI_Admin
I think being more self-aware of them helps us to compensate. But I'm not sure being inconsistent is a problem unless we're talking about a preference for certain ethical principles.