From: Dan Fabulich (daniel.fabulich@yale.edu)
Date: Wed Mar 01 2000 - 13:07:01 MST
'What is your name?' 'Robin Hanson.' 'Do you deny having written the
following?':
> With a similar magic wand you could find out everything that Dan Fabulich
> would ever think about ethics under any circumstances. And isn't that
> the closest Dan Fabulich could ever get to knowing what is ethical?
> Sure there might be some things about right and wrong that Dan Fabulich
> could never know. But no other approach to ethics could possibly reveal
> more to Dan Fabulich than this.
True enough, but we'll never HAVE a magic wand like this. The prediction
would surely affect my way of thinking about ethics, so the prediction
would have to not only model my thoughts on the matter but its own effects
on my thoughts on the matter. Not to mention problems like Newcomb's
Paradox, etc. This problem gets harder still if I never die, friggin'
impossible if I ever make it to some Omega point, etc.
And, if that didn't convince you, on a practical level this problem is
harder than trying to predict the high/lows in temperature and when it
will rain from now until my death (if ever) based solely on a few weather
vanes in Paraguay.
-Dan
-unless you love someone-
-nothing else makes any sense-
e.e. cummings
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