Fun Theory

Fun Theory is the field of knowledge studying how to design for fun in future society: it deals in questions such as "How"How much fun is there in the universe?"", "Will"Will we ever run out of fun?"", "Are"Are we having fun yet?"" and "Could"Could we be having more fun?""

Fun Theory is also the fully general reply to religious theodicy (attempts to justify why God permits evil). Our present world has flaws even from the standpoint of such eudaimonic considerations as freedom, personal responsibility, and self-reliance. Fun Theory tries to describe the dimensions along which a benevolently designed world can and should be optimized, and our present world is clearly not the result of such optimization. Fun Theory also highlights the flaws of any particular religion'religion's perfect afterlife - you wouldn'wouldn't want to go to their Heaven.

Some critiques of transhumanism (and related fields such as cryonics or lifespan extension) suggest that human enhancement would be accompanied boredom and the end of fun as we know it. For example: "if"if we self-improve human minds to extreme levels of intelligence, all challenges known today may bore us."" Likewise, "if"if superhumanly intelligent machines take care of our every need, it is apparent that no challenges nor fun will remain.""

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"It is a commonplace [view] that the Christian Heaven, as usually portrayed, would attract nobody. Almost all Christian writers dealing with Heaven either say frankly that it is indescribable or conjure up a vague picture of gold, precious stones, and the endless singing of hymns... [W]hat it could not do was to describe a condition in which the ordinary human being actively wanted to be.""

Complex values and fun theory'theory's solution

It is a common mistake in discussion of future society to extract only one element of the human preferences and advocate that it alone be maximized. This would neglect all other human values. For example, if we simply optimize for pleasure or happiness, "wirehead""wirehead", we'we'll stimulate the relevant parts of our brain and experience bliss for eternity, but pursue no other experiences. If almost any element of our value system is absent, then the human future will likely be very unpleasant.

• George Orwell, Why Socialists Don'Don't Believe in Fun
• David Pearce, Paradise Engineering and The Hedonistic Imperative (Abolitionism) provides a more nuanced alternative to wireheading.

Fun Theory explores how societies, especially future transhumanist societies, could be optimized to be fun and exciting for their inhabitants. Most proposed Utopias would be mind-numbingly boring if you actually had to live in them, but it must be possible to do better.

From The Fun Theory Sequence:

Fun Theory is the field of knowledge thatstudying how to design for fun in future society: it deals in questions such as "How much fun is there in the universe?", "Will we ever run out of fun?", "Are we having fun yet?" and "Could we be having more fun?"

From The Fun Theory Sequence:

The argument against Enlightenment

Some critiques of transhumanism (and related fields such as cryonics or lifespan extension) suggest that human enhancement would be accompanied boredom and the end of fun as we know it. For example: "if we self-improve human minds to extreme levels of intelligence, all challenges known today may bore us." Likewise, "if superhumanly intelligent machines take care of our every need, it is apparent that no challenges nor fun will remain."

However, we can work towards determining whether and how the universe will offer, or whether we ourselves can create, ever more complex and sophisticated opportunities to delight, entertain and challenge ever more powerful and resourceful minds.

The concept of Utopia

Transhumanists are usually seen as working towards a better human future. This future is sometimes conceptualized, as George Orwell aptly describes it, as Utopia:

"It is a commonplace [view] that the Christian Heaven, as usually portrayed, would attract nobody. Almost all Christian writers dealing with Heaven either say frankly that it is indescribable or conjure up a vague picture of gold, precious stones, and the endless singing of hymns... [W]hat it could not do was to describe a condition in which the ordinary human being actively wanted to be."

Imagining this perfect future where every problem is solved and where there is constant peace and rest--as seen, a close parallel to several religious Heavens--rapidly leads to the conclusion that no one would actually want to live there.

Complex values and fun theory's solution

A key insight of fun theory, in its current embryonic form, is that eudaimonia - the classical framework where happiness is the ultimate human goal - is complicated. That is, there are many properties which contribute to a life worth living. We humans require many things to experience a fulfilled life: Aesthetic stimulation, pleasure, love, social interaction, learning, challenge, and much more.

It is a common mistake in discussion of future society to extract only one element of the human preferences and advocate that it alone be maximized. This would neglect all other human values. For example, if we simply optimize for pleasure or happiness, "wirehead", we'll stimulate the relevant parts of...

Fun theoryTheory explores how societies, especially future transhumanist societies, could be optimized to be fun and exciting for their inhabitants. Most proposed Utopias would be mind-numbingly boring if you actually had to live in them, but it must be possible to do better.

From The Fun Theory Sequence:

Fun Theory is the field of knowledge occupied with studying the concept of fun (as the opposite of boredom). It tries to answer problemsthat deals in questions such as how"How much fun is there in the universe?", "Will we should quantify fun, how desirableever run out of fun?", "Are we having fun is,yet?" and how fun relates"Could we be having more fun?"

Many critics (including George Orwell) have commented on the inability of authors to the human living experience. It has been one of the major interests of Eliezer Yudkowsky while writing for Less Wrong.

The argument against Enlightenment

While discussing transhumanism and related fields such as cryonics or lifespan extension, fun theory has been brought up as a countering argument by conservatives that such enhancements would bring boredom and the end of fun as we know it. More specifically, if we self-improve human minds to extreme levels of intelligence, all challenges known today may bore us. Likewise, if superhumanly intelligent machines take care of our every need, it is apparent that no challenges nor fun will remain. As such, we have to find other options.

The implicit open question is whether the universe will offer, or whether we ourselves can create, ever more complex and sophisticated opportunities to delight, entertain and challenge ever more powerful and resourceful minds.

The concept of Utopia

Transhumanists are usually seen as working towards a better human future. This future is sometimes conceptualized, as George Orwell aptly describes it, as an Utopia:

"It is a commonplace that the Christian Heaven, as usually portrayed, would attract nobody. Almost all Christian writers dealing with Heaven either say frankly that it is indescribable or conjure up a vague picture of gold, precious stones, and the endless singing of hymns... [W]hat it could not do was to describe a condition in which the ordinary human being actively wanted to be."

Imagining this perfect futureimagine Utopias where every problem is solved and where there is constant peace and rest - as seen, a close parallel to several religious Heavens - rapidly leads to the conclusion that no oneanyone would actually want to live there.

Complex values and fun theory's solution

A key insight of fun theory, in its current embryonic form, is that eudaimonia - the classical frameworklive. If no one can imagine a Future where happiness is the ultimate human goal - is complicated. That is, there are many properties which contribute to a life worth living. We humans require many things

• George Orwell, Why Socialists Don't Believe in Fun
• David Pearce, Paradise Engineering and The Hedonistic Imperative (Abolitionism) provides a more nuanced alternative to wireheading.

• The Fun Theory Sequence
• Complexity of value
• Metaethics sequence
• Abolitionism

Fun theory is the field of knowledge occupied with studying the concept of fun (as the opposite of boredom). It tries to answer problems such as how we should quantify it,fun, how desirable itfun is, and how itfun relates to the human living experience. It has been one of the major interests of Eliezer Yudkowsky while writing for Less Wrong.

The argument against EnlightmentEnlightenment

While discussing transhumanism and related fields such as cryonics or lifespan extension, itfun theory has been brought up as a countering argument by conservatives that such enhancements would bring boredom and the end of fun as we know it. More specifically, if we self-improve human minds to extreme levels of intelligence, all challenges known today may bore us. Likewise, whenif superhumanly intelligent machines take care of our every need, it is apparent that no challenges nor fun will remain. As such, we should avoid that path of development.have to find other options.

The implicit open question is whether the universe will offer, or whether we ourselves can create, ever more complex and sophisticated opportunities to delight, entertain and challenge ever more powerful and resourceful minds.

Complex values and Fun Theory'fun theory's solution

A key insight of Fun Theory,fun theory, in its current embryonic form, is that eudaimonia - the classical framework where happinnesshappiness is the ultimate human goal - is complicated. That is, there are many properties which contribute to a life worth living. We humans require many things to experience a fulfilled life: Aesthetic stimulation, pleasure, love, social interaction, learning, challenge, and much more.

It is a common mistake in discussion of future AI to extract only one element of the human preferences and advocate that it alone be maximized. This would lead to neglect of all the other human values. For example, if we simply optimize for pleasure or happiness, we will "wirehead" -, we'll stimulate the relevant parts of our brain and experience bliss for eternity, but pursue no other experiences. If almost any element of our value system is absent, then the human future will likely be very unpleasant.

Enhanced humans are also seen to have the value system of humans today, but we may choose to change it as we self-enhance. We may want to alter our own value system, by eliminating values, like bloodlust, which on reflection we wish were absent. But there are many values which we, on reflection, want to keep, and since we humans have no basis for a value system other than our current value system, Fun Theoryfun theory must seek to maximize the value system that we have, rather than inventing new values.

Fun Theorytheory thus seeks to let us keep our curiosity and love of learning intact, while preventing the extremes of boredom possible in a transhuman future if our strongly boosted intellects have exhausted all challenges. More broadly, fun theory seeks to allow humanity to enjoy life when all needs are easily satisfied and avoid the fall ininto a classical Utopian future.

A key insight of Fun Theory, in its current embryonic form, is that eudaimonia - the classical framework where happinness is the ultimate humahuman goal - is complicated. That is, there are many properties which contribute to a life worth living. We humans require many things to experience a fulfilled life: Aesthetic stimulation, pleasure, love, social interaction, learning, challenge, and much more.

A key insight of Fun Theory, in its current embryonic form, is that eudaimonia - the classical framework where happinness is the ultimate huma goal - is complicated -. That is, there are many properties which contribute to a life worth living. We humans require many things to experience a fulfilled life: Aesthetic stimulation, pleasure, love, social interaction, learning, challenge, and much more.

Fun Theory thus seeks to let us keep our curiosity and love of learning intact, while preventing the extremes of boredom possible in a transhuman future if our strongly boosted intellects have exhausted all challenges. More broadly, fun theory seeks to allow humanity to enjoy life when all needs are easily satisfied.satisfied and avoid the fall in a classical Utopian future.

A key insight of Fun Theory, in its current embryonic form, is that eudaimonia is complicated - there are many properties which contribute to a life worth living. We humans require many things to experience a fulfilled life: Aesthetic stimulation, pleasure, love, social interaction, learning, challenge, and much more.

It is a common mistake in discussion of future AI to extract only one element of the human preferences and advocate that it alone be maximized. This would lead to neglect of all the other values. For example, we simply optimize for pleasure or happiness, we will "wirehead" - stimulate the relevant parts of our brain and experience bliss for eternity, but pursue no other experiences. If almost any element of our value system is absent, then the human future will likely be very unpleasant.

Enhanced humans are also seen to have the value system of humans today, but we may choose to change it as we self-enhance. We may want to alter our own value system, by eliminating values, like bloodlust, which on reflection we wish were absent. But there are many values which we, on reflection, want to keep, and since we humans have no basis for a value system other than our current value system, Fun Theory must seek to maximize the value system that we have, rather than inventing new values.

Fun Theory thus seeks to let us keep our curiosity and love of learning intact, while preventing the extremes of boredom possible in a transhuman future if our strongly boosted intellects have exhausted all challenges. More broadly, fun theory seeks to allow humanity to enjoy life when all needs are easily satisfied.