Have Humans Evolved to Be Inaccurate Decision Makers?

Post by sametmax » Thu, Oct 20, 2016, 5:29 AM UTC

TeMPOraL wrote: post #35

sametmax wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While it does make our life easier, machines also brought our down our physical abilities. In modern countries, people are usually not as strong, have less stamina, and their immune system is less potent. We also see a decrease in the ability to focus with people using a lot devices with screens. I'm quite concerned of what AI is doing to our brain skills: pattern recognition, memory, data processing and summary... A…

A lot of those problems are created by technology because it's designed (as in, on purpose) to create them! There are strong commercial interests to keep you glued to various devices with screens on them. If we can somehow overcome that problem, I'm confident that the distraction/productivity loss issue will simply disappear.

Post by woliveirajr » Thu, Oct 20, 2016, 12:33 PM UTC

PakG1 wrote: post #7

lordnacho wrote: post #4

Well it would make sense if that were the case. You have some system that tried to balance bias, variance, and utility. Sometimes that best way to do that is to have some bias. The classic example of this is you may jump when you see something that looks like a predator, but then turns out not to be. The cost of being wrong (see nothing when predator, see predator when nothing) means it's optimal to sometimes see dan…

That's the argument for racial profiling. Not making any argument for or against, just pointing out something interesting. I didn't think about the topic in this context before, as to whether or not it's rational. It's always only been a question of ethics to me. So the natural follow-up question: are various ethics irrational? Again, only a theoretical exercise, not putting my personal views into this.