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LIVING_ALGORITHMS

                                                      June 21, 2016
                                                      May  12, 2023

Brian Christian, "Algorithms for Living",
runs through some of them at the Longnow.

His basic point is that researchers have over
the last few hundred years worked out mathematical
solutions to strategies involving making decisions
under uncertain (but bounded) conditions, and that
there's some research that indicates human beings
gravitate toward these solutions on their own.


They capture some of the features of actual
life, like the need to pass up on some          My own attitude has always
opportunities (play the field) while you're     been that this kind of
gathering information, but to switch to a       thinking is hopelessly rigid
different mode later in the game (time to get   and fuddy-duddy.  My stated
serious).                                       doctrine-- to the extent
                                                that I have one-- is more
                                                like "never too old".

                                                  For example, I try to
                                                  avoid worrying too much
                                                  about looking like a
                                                  flake because of "gaps
                                                  in my job history".

                                                    Consequently my careening
                                                    career looks pretty
                                                    strange on my resume,
                                                    even to my eye.



The influence of the time horizon on the
logical strategy is interesting...



   Note the need for to evaluate information                  I wonder about
   when an election looms versus, say, the        COGS        translating this
   normal process of science.                                 idea of optimal
                                                              individual
                                                              strategies
                                                              to collective
                                                              strategies:

                                                              organizations,
                                                              group projects...
                     TRANSFORMS
                                                  Do they have identifiable
                                                  life spans with predictable
                                                  turning points?




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