Lighthaven Sequences Reading Group #29 (Tuesday 04/08)

post by Jozdien, Aella, Ronny Fernandez (ronny-fernandez), Ben Pace (Benito), Garrett Baker (D0TheMath), Jozdien, orthonormal · 2025-04-04T01:16:37.754Z · ? · GW · 0 comments

Contents

  Decision Theory in Hindsight: Talk and Discussion
    Some questions to ask yourself about the essay(s) as you're reading
    For the future
None
No comments

Note: This week will have a lecture on decision theory. We will likely be meeting in building C^[1], but that might change and we'll update in the comments.

Come get old-fashioned with us, and let's read the sequences listen to a talk about decision theory at Lighthaven! We'll show up, mingle, do intros, and then gather round to hear Patrick's presentation. 

This group is aimed for people who are new to the sequences and would enjoy a group experience, but also for people who've been around LessWrong and LessWrong meetups for a while and would like a refresher.

This meetup will also have dinner provided! We'll be ordering pizza-of-the-day from Sliver (including 2 vegan pizzas). Please RSVP to this event so we know how many people to have food for.

This week, we'll have a lecture by Patrick LaVictoire on:

Decision Theory in Hindsight: Talk and Discussion

There are over 500 LessWrong posts tagged with "Decision Theory" or variants of it. What's that all about?

Patrick LaVictoire worked at MIRI on decision theory in the 2010s. He's excited to give a short(ish) talk on the following questions:

• What is decision theory?
• What are some major results in it?
• Why has it come up in AI alignment research?
• What does it mean for human decisions?

After that, we will break into small groups for chatting. (Patrick will be available to answer questions after small group time.)

Because we're starting with a talk, if you are late you will miss more than usual. Be here before 6:30!

In the spirit of reading old posts, Patrick thinks his 2012 explainer is still a not-half-bad preparation for the evening:

• Decision Theories: A Less Wrong Primer [LW · GW]

The event starts at 6:30, and doors open 6pm (yes we will let you in early if you get here). At 6:30 we'll welcome people, give a few announcements, and then start the talk. Pizza will be served at about 7:30pm, after which point we'll hangout around the fireside as late as we feel like.

If you'd like to help us keep dinner going, you can donate here [? · GW] (dinner costs about $200 each time, we recommend $5-$15 as a donation amount per person).

If you're ever having a hard time getting in the front door, you can call me (Ben) at five one oh, nine nine eight, four seven seven one, or Ronny at two oh one, four oh six, six eight seven two, and we'll come and get you.

Some questions to ask yourself about the essay(s) as you're reading

• What's the most important point in the essay?
• What's the weakest point in the essay? Or what is the essay wrong about?
• Can you think of a way to apply the ideas in this essay to your own life?

For the future

This is a weekly meetup! If you'd like to get notified of future events, you can subscribe to our meetup below to get an email whenever we add another one.

1. ^{^}

   

   Map of Lighthaven. You will enter at "Start" if you get in through telegraph, and your goal is to follow the red line in order to get to "End".

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