Comment by briarandbramble on The Amazing Virgin Pregnancy · 2007-12-24T21:38:01.000Z · LW · GW

I feel like Anna. I don't understand what this post accomplishes, and I would like answers to the questions Anna asks.

Comment by briarandbramble on Effortless Technique · 2007-12-23T18:30:19.000Z · LW · GW

"Surely (I said), an agent is less intelligent if it uses more memory, processing power, and sensory bandwidth to accomplish the same task?" Be careful not to confuse the intelligence of the agent with the intelligence of the person who created the agent. Two agents that accomplish the same task are equally intelligent. The fact that one agent uses more memory and the other uses more styrofoam peanuts is irrelevant.

Comment by briarandbramble on Fake Utility Functions · 2007-12-07T07:12:00.000Z · LW · GW

I am wondering whether simple utility functions exist in special cases. For example, if a man is alone and starving in the artic, does he have a simple utility function? Or suppose he's a drug addict criminal psychotic desperately scheming to get the next fix? Also, just to make sure I understand the terminology, suppose it's a lower animal, say an alligator, rather than a human. Does an alligator have a simple utility function?