Re:How to Be Happy
by walterbell on Sunday July 20, 2014 @01:11PM
(#8060865)
> What do you mean "good, bad, utilitarian"?
I'm asking if emotion (e.g. desire to help friend) has higher or lower utility.
> recursive relationship berween observers and observed systems
See page 2 onward in this cybernetics paper
http://www.nomads.usp.br/pesquisas/design/objetos_interativo...
Having either my friend have dust in his eye or some stranger tortured are outcomes with less utility in my book than the counterfactual default. Actions which lead to these outcomes are bad, actions which prevent or provide restitution are good.
I don't know what you are getting at with a recursive relationship between observers and observed systems.