2. Map and Territory: The Map is how we understand the world to be. The Territory is the reality of the world. This would be considered A posteriori thought. This is where ideas like Bayesian updating will be useful.

Map and Territory

Flexibility of beliefs is critical. Nobody’s Map is perfect, and we should always be on the lookout for where we can improve that map.

Pushes a self-improvement strategy of constant improvement, where you always do your best to make your map better reflect the territory.

“Internal representations that reliably correlate with states of the world, and that participate in inferences that tend to derive true implications from true premises, may be called knowledge.” (Steven Pinker, Enlightenment Now)
^4de896

Another instance of Knowledge is testable prediction. Internal representations feels like Concept-space. The goal should be to align Map and Territory

Map and Territory

This will give us a new ability to blend between our Map and Territory. Both literally (overlaying map info over our view of the world), and figuratively ( blend information or representation with our senses of the world)

Map and Territory

I suspect that we can actually explain deductive logic with the same framework. All deductive logic requires a base assumption, which is like having a prior of 100% for a given state in inductive logic. This cannot be a true inductively achieved state for our map, since 100% certainty is infinite certainty. However, we can use deductive logic as a tool to append to our inductive logic.

“I have already remarked that nothing is inherently mysterious—nothing that actually exists, that is. If I am ignorant about a phenomenon, that is a fact about my state of mind, not a fact about the phenomenon; to worship a phenomenon because it seems so wonderfully mysterious is to worship your own ignorance; a blank map does not correspond to a blank territory, it is just somewhere we haven’t visited yet, etc., etc. . . . Which is to say that everything—everything that actually exists—is liable to end up in “the dull catalogue of common things,” sooner or later.” (Eliezer Yudkowsky, Rationality)

Some good thoughts here regarding Mysterious Answer and Map and Territory

For this reason, an important part of any system of thought and communication is to reduce the stigma and pain that comes from discovering a fault in one’s Map.

Map and Territory

Map and Territory

“ There are no surprising facts, only models that are surprised by facts; and if a model is surprised by the facts, it is no credit to that model.” (Eliezer Yudkowsky, Rationality)

Great description of Map and Territory.

Map and Territory