Comments on “No meaning without justification”

I’m not seeing the link for the Cosmic Plan definition at the start of the article. I’m sure there is one because I swear I’ve seen it on other pages (and besides, it’s such a key concept…)

This is (yet another) great post and I’m reminded of how much I have enjoyed, and been enriched by, your writing over however long its been now – thank you!

Something that I noticed in particular on reading this post is that your attitude is so warm and generous. Your arguments, points, and references are wonderful, but it’s occasionally even more helpful (to me) that they’re all made with such obvious charity towards all of us ‘suffering’ from “human being”.

I was delighted to find that your thesis book is available via Amazon! And even more delighted that you found the code too and shared it publicly. (On (re-)reading the post at that last link, it occurred to me that you are something like the ‘Ur-modern-rationalist’ – an AI researcher that self-imposed a moratorium on continuing to research technologies you expected to be net-harmful!)

Similar question but on the opposite end of the spectrum: how can you justify going to a restaurant alone to have a waffle covered in chocolate sauce as an adult?

(Sorry, i didn’t read the post. Just wanted to post this ‘cause it’s funny)

“Still, particularly in the case of children (on whom you may impose your bad choice for a lifetime), I wish more people did think carefully. Explicit reflection on purposes and alternatives could prevent much suffering. Too many parents blunder into child-rearing by just going with the flow, and secretly regret it later.”

Consider a world in which you get your wish. Are you certain it is a better world?

I think you will find that there are at least two problems with this. I have never commented before, so I don’t know whether merely pointing this out is sufficient, similar to how Kasparov once reflected, about missing a winning line, that he would have found it if someone had merely said to him, at that moment, “Now”.

I think you’ll find that if the world in which you get your wish is different than the current world, then also we’re all dead. I think you’ll also find something interesting about decision-making as a realized phenomenon when you go deep on the “reflection” vs “going with the flow” duality you’ve set up with this wording.

This argument seems particularly unconvincing. You shift from buying floss to eating a snack and singing I the shower. Choosing between cherry tomatoes and cheese involves a balance between various concerns like pleasure in taste and satiation versus your desire to lose weight. That’s a justification process, although we probably don’t linger long on the choice. Singing I the shower is a justification process as week, with one step: you enjoy it, I.e., pleasure (unless ypu are practicing for something).

I don’t think most people’s decision to floss is a nebulous and just-because as you make out. We floss for various reasons like avoiding bad breathe and the pain is serious dental problems.

If you lost faith in ever falling in love and procreating-or in the value of doing so-that would leave avoiding pain. That’s a good justification. However, if the pint of it all is to avoid as much pain as we can before our eventual decline and death, life can seem pointless: we are trapped in these mortal shells that nag us to eat and floss. But what makes it worth it? Another way to avoid gum disease and hunger is suicide. Living for momentary pleasures like singing in the shower and snacking, while minimizing pain, seems like materialism which I think you agree is inadequate.

As for the fire chief, etc., he may be making decisions in a rapid, intuitive, situation driven way, but he does have justifications: saving lives and property, keeping his firefighters safe, etc. if he didn’t believe human life had value he probably would not have become a fire chief in the first place.

Most of your argument seems like, sorry, but hand-waving: it’s all a complicated dance/web and it would take to long to explain but take my word for it that justifications aren’t important. The bit about our justifications being after-the-fact rationalizations seems like an argument FOR nihilism: why bother thinking things through and trying to make a good decision when that’s just a charade?