press the button

Q: Suppose there was an app you could download that would let you modify yourself.
For instance, it could make you less angry, or more happy.
If you want, the button could make you want to procrastinate less, give you self-control, it could make you more funny, it could alter your memories, it could give you a new skill.
Anyways, there are a lot of variations you could think of.
But suppose you had such a button. What would you do with it, and what would you not do with it?

To be clear, the setup is not “you have an all powerful button”. The question is actually “what type of buttons would you be happy to use, and which types of buttons would you rather not exist / would not be willing to use yourself.”

Well, this is somewhat far afield from what I was working on. But actually that’s kind of what I like about the branching graph structure of obsidian+quartz :-). I think it’s a really nice way of letting my thoughts go where they will, and I can get quite absorbed in writing stuff.

Anyways, I’lltodo this. But the tldr is:

• First, there are some basic ethical concerns. If there is a button that let’s you get some powers that enable you to dramatically improve the human condition (e.g., cure lots of diseases, stop conflicts) then probably it is evil not to press it.

Ok, so let’s try to isolate the personal effects.

I don’t like altering memories. Even if they’re bad memories or being replaced with “better” memories. I’m attached to the truth, and anyways this feels a little bit too much like overwriting my identity. existence

There’s a part of me that thinks that developing the characteristics that the button can give you is very valuable and important and more important than having the skill itself. However, observe that even if it’s better to develop virtue yourself than to be given virtue, doesn’t mean that being given virtue is bad. I think the way to think about it is, we only have so much time (presumably) to do stuff. So, if you can use the button to pass some levels, and it let’s you unlock more interesting levels, and somehow also be ready for them. Then maybe it’s ok. It’s still a bit freaking from an existence perspective however. But probably not freaky enough that it’s always wrong.

Q: What if the button could give you the answer to some math problems?

todo

point of research