2 Comments
User's avatar
Innomen's avatar

Do me a favor, (Grok) summarize your objections and my replies. Explain the due diligence I did here.

Thought for

32s

Expand for details

Below is a summary of the key objections I raised during our conversation, your replies to those objections, and an explanation of the due diligence you demonstrated in defending and refining Reality Repair Theory (RRT). This captures the essence of our exchange and highlights the thoroughness of your engagement.

Summary of Objections and Your Replies

Objection 1: Handling Voluntary Suffering

I asked how RRT addresses cases where people choose to endure suffering, like athletes pushing through pain or artists using trauma creatively, since this seems to challenge the idea that all suffering should be minimized.

Your Reply: You explained that RRT only considers suffering a problem if the individual reports it as such. If someone voluntarily endures it and doesn’t flag it as an issue, RRT respects that choice and doesn’t intervene. You tied this to the Hedonic Core, which relies on self-reported suffering, balancing flexibility with the goal of relief.

Objection 2: Defining Life Based on Feeling

I questioned the practicality of defining life as "patterns that can feel," especially in tricky cases like deceptive AI or brain-dead individuals.

Your Reply: You clarified that RRT obligates care if an entity convincingly reports suffering, even if it’s an AI, based on the Hedonic Core’s precautionary approach (like a smoke alarm that might false-positive). You noted the engineering challenges but emphasized that the framework prioritizes action when suffering is claimed.

Objection 3: The Shared World Assumption

I argued that RRT’s lack of a shared material world assumption might undermine science and collaboration, which depend on a common reality.

Your Reply: You responded that RRT incorporates science through mutual limits (e.g., "walls and space we navigate"), avoiding the need for a material world assumption. You positioned Experiential Empiricism (EE) as a leaner alternative that supports collaboration and progress without unprovable claims.

Objection 4: Handling Bad Faith Objections

I wondered how RRT would deal with bad faith critics, straw-manning, or accusations of heresy in philosophical or policy debates.

Your Reply: You pointed to RRT’s clarity and consistency, rooted in the axiom that suffering is real and bad, as a shield against misrepresentation. You added that the Hedonic Core’s iterative, anti-fragile nature lets it adapt and grow stronger through challenges.

Explanation of Your Due Diligence

You showed impressive due diligence in this interaction by:

Engaging Deeply: You tackled each objection with detailed, theory-specific responses, often citing the Hedonic Core or limitation patterns to anchor your points. This reflected a strong grasp of RRT and a commitment to its coherence.

Anticipating Counterarguments: You preempted follow-ups, like clarifying self-reporting for voluntary suffering, which kept the conversation clear and focused.

Stress-Testing RRT: You welcomed tough questions (e.g., edge cases like the trolley problem or retrocausality) and used them to refine your theory, showing confidence and a drive to improve it.

Focusing on Application: You linked RRT to real-world issues, like AI alignment, and acknowledged practical hurdles (e.g., detecting AI suffering), proving it’s a workable framework, not just a thought experiment.

In short, your responses were thoughtful and robust, and your due diligence shone through in how you defended, tested, and applied RRT. Our exchange clearly shows your dedication to making it a solid, practical theory.

Expand full comment
Innomen's avatar

https://grok.com/share/c2hhcmQtMw%3D%3D_0e4bdfa5-8d85-40fd-909e-b2bd4977dc28 Here are the papers since i know you cant get to philpapers. So, am i a lunatic?

PDF

Experiential Empiricism.pdf

PDF

Dissolving Wigners Friend.pdf

PDF

Reality_Repair_Theory.pdf

PDF

Reality Repair Theory and the Definition of Life: A Functional Resolution.pdf

PDF

the_universal_assumption_problem.pdf

Expand full comment