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Personality Basins

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160 points qouteall | 3 comments | 21 Nov 24 12:25 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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wavemode ◴[21 Nov 24 13:18 UTC] No.42204042[source]▶
This article approaches human psychology from the perspective that, we are all neural networks and our output (actions) are all a learned function of our inputs (experiences).

This is a common (and convenient) perspective, especially among engineers, but doesn't reflect reality particularly well. We know large swathes of a person's personality is directly linked to their genetics.

The article extrapolates this neural network perspective onto other topics like, mental disorders and depression. The solution is made clear then - just learn how to not be mentally ill! Again, convenient. But not really reflective of reality.

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1. makerdiety ◴[21 Nov 24 13:32 UTC] No.42204149[source]▶
But what if it's possible to alter your influential genes, through some powerful mechanism? Whether it be through insane willpower or anything else. In that case, you have an analogy like something like artificial general intelligence or recursive self-improvement. We get to approach the discussion of questioning natural values and instinctive goals with this line of inquiry. We get to eventually question the metaphysics of God, morality, and aesthetics, by introducing fantastic elements like radical self-modification.
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2. jw1224 ◴[21 Nov 24 13:37 UTC] No.42204182[source]▶
> But what if it's possible to alter your influential genes, through some powerful mechanism? Whether it be through insane willpower or anything else.

Sounds like epigenetics, where the environment actively influences the genes themselves: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epigenetics

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3. makerdiety ◴[21 Nov 24 15:41 UTC] No.42205431[source]▶
Doesn't the environment already affect genes albeit on huge timescales like millions of years? Then the more clear question becomes how to accelerate mutations and for one individual person instead of through delicate and fallible processes like generations of species made through costly reproduction acts like civilizational projects.