Terry Pratchett's unfinished novels destroyed by steamroller

Re:Terry Pratchett's unfinished novels destroyed by steamroller by Houshalter on Wednesday August 30, 2017 @06:53AM (#15131086)

You can assign value to different world states. All of life is about trying to steer reality into branches we prefer! Every decision you will ever make is to increase the probability of world states you desire more. If you really didn't have any preferences, you wouldn't do anything at all.

And yes, I absolutely would prefer to live in the world state with optimal Kafka. You really wouldn't? If Kafka came up to and asked him to help you with his wording or something, you wouldn't assist him at all?

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Re:Terry Pratchett's unfinished novels destroyed by steamroller by anvandare on Wednesday August 30, 2017 @07:59AM (#15131371)

Yes, you can assign values to different world versions, but each version would have their own values. It's a meaningless (to others), subjective categorization. There is no solution to the trolley problem where both branches agree to let one branch die.

I didn't mean that I do not have any preferences, but that my preferences aren't special or better than others' preferences, in the same way that another version of the world (where Pratchett's wishes were overruled) is not a better world than the current one. I think I'm skirting close to Leibniz here. Yes, the world could be better, but it would not be our world, and it would only be better to some of us, and worse for others.

It's highly unlikely that your best Kafka is my best Kafka. As such there is no Best Kafka. The world in which I help Kafka finish The Castle is one in which (for want of a nail) a trillion years from now the Zormulons exterminate the Qdhraxians. I doubt the Qdhraxians are happy I at least got an ending to a story.

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