LINK: Human Bio-engineering and Coherent Extrapolated Volition

post by Mass_Driver · 2012-04-28T01:40:02.931Z · LW · GW · Legacy · 4 comments

This article has some interesting commentary on how humans might modify themselves to combat global warming, including the use of drugs that would increase empathy, increase willpower, or increase aversion to meat. The interviewer points out that such techniques could involve implanting non-native beliefs in people's minds, and the researcher responds that any such beliefs would be essentially built up out of the person's existing desires and wishes -- the analysis is remarkably similar to the analysis Eliezer gives in explaining Coherent Extrapolated Volition.

No hate mail about how meat does or doesn't cause global warming, please -- the interesting bit is the analysis of CEV, not the analysis of climate change.

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/03/how-engineering-the-human-body-could-combat-climate-change/253981/

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