From: gts (gts@optexinc.com)
Date: Mon Aug 26 2002 - 19:43:27 MDT
Eliezer S. Yudkowsky wrote:
> Please explain an altruist who actually sacrifices his or her life in
> the course of altruism, at sufficient speed that there is no time
> for brain-reward.
Please first give me an example of such an event!
If a person suicides for another person or persons then that person is
doing so because he finds it to be a rewarding experience at least up
until the very moment of death. Palestinian suicide bombers are a case
in point.
> Please also explain why altruists will forgo much larger brain-rewards
> (measured in total neurotransmitter brain release or whoever you like)
> in order to gain the small brain-reward of altruism.
I've seen no evidence that so-called altruists do such things in the
first place.
> People
> are perfectly capable of conceiving of altruism as an ideal apart
> from its evolutionary implementation and using that knowledge to
> reward their behavior toward the ideal and away from maximal
> brain-reward.
I think what you really mean is that people are perfectly capable of
understanding that the concept of "altruism" is itself a beneficial
evolutionary adaptation.
It serves our genes well that we believe in the existence of altruists
and seek to emulate these mythical creatures.
> Maybe there aren't *enough* of those people, but there are some.
Oh? Where are they? Show me a person who acts for the benefit of others
who does not do so because he feels good about doing so!
As I wrote to Lee Corbin a couple of weeks ago, I do not in any way wish
to imply that so-called altruistic behaviors are not in some way noble
or virtuous. By all means we humans should make every attempt to satisfy
our socially constructive urges, and we should celebrate and commend
those among us who do so.
But let us not be so vain or ignorant as to think we are proceeding in
this fashion for some metaphysical or religious reason outside the scope
of science and genetics.
The will toward transhumanism is itself strong evidence that the
information in our genes is instructing us to move into the future that
lay beyond humanity. It is fitting and predictable that we should feel
neurological reward for pursuing this effort.
-gts
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Sat Nov 02 2002 - 09:16:25 MST