Hacker News

points by chao- 6 hours ago | 0 comments

I vividly remember a number of discussions/debates during that time (including on HN). I was more favorable to cryptocurrency in those days, and one of the things that contributed to my disillusionment was watching the people deepest and closest to it rediscover financial regulation from first principles, now that it was in their interest.

[–] throwaway132448 6 hours ago

Witnessing the same people discover philosophy from first principles in the face of AI has been similarly farcical, as if we’re the first people to try and wrestle with a definition of intelligence.

[–] cheraderama 6 hours ago

Philosophy, unlike financial regulation, isn't generally forced on people.

[–] narrator 5 hours ago

Yeah it is. It's called law. For example: when is intent important or a mitigating factor in a crime? When is it not important. Very philosophical.

[–] nonethewiser 4 hours ago

By that logic financial regulation is philosophy too but that makes the original comparison of financial regulation to philosophy non sensical. You’re shifting the terminology beneath out feet.

Law is downstream of philosophy. Youre forced to deal with conclusions that may be based in philosophy (or they may be arbitrary or self interested). Nobody makes you hold a position on mens rea. In that way you can ignore the philosophy.

[–] throwaway132448 6 hours ago

I don’t think I understand what you’re trying to say.

In the literal sense, people have been forcing their philosophy on other people for at least as long as we’ve had societies, so I assume it’s not that.

[–] nonethewiser 4 hours ago

Arent you disagreeing with yourself? You say these people are just now wrestling with the question of what intelligence is despite it being a longstanding philosophical question. So it clearly wasn’t forced on them.

[–] michaelt 5 hours ago

I myself was held prisoner by John Searle for 20 years, my only contact with the outside world by notes slipped under the door written in Chinese - a language I do not speak.

[–] jojobas 3 hours ago

You take not being subjected to say Marxism-Leninism at every stage of your life for granted.

[–] ex-aws-dude 6 hours ago

That is the tech bro circle of life

Invent Notion then keep adding features enterprise customers want until you're re-inventing JIRA/Confluence

Who left this stupid fence here?