4.1 Post summary / Table of contents

Part of the Valence series.

(This is my second attempt to write the 4th post of my valence series. If you already read the previous attempt and are unsure whether to read this too, see footnote→[1]. Also, note that this post has a bit of overlap with (and self-plagiarism from) my post Social status part 2/2: everything else, but the posts are generally pretty different.)

The previous three posts built a foundation about what valence is, and how valence relates to thought in general. Now we’re up to our first more specific application: the application of valence to the social world.

Here's an obvious question: “If my brain really assigns valence to any and every concept in my world-model, well, how about the valence that my brain assigns to the concept of some other person I know?” I think this question [...]

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Outline:

(00:06) 4.1 Post summary / Table of contents

(03:04) 4.2 Key concept: “liking / admiring”

(03:22) 4.2.1 Intuitive (extreme) example of “liking / admiring”

(05:01) 4.2.2 Examples of “liking” without “liking / admiring”

(06:00) 4.2.3 Examples of “liking / admiring” without “admiring”

(07:36) 4.3 Proposal: “Beth likes / admires Alice” = “the concept of ‘Alice’ has positive valence in Beth's mind”

(08:07) 4.3.1 What's happening with valence in cases where “liking” comes apart from “liking / admiring”?

(09:06) 4.4 An innate “drive to feel liked / admired”

(09:11) 4.4.1 Claim: People's motivation to feel liked / admired is an innate drive, not just a learned strategy

(12:52) 4.4.2 How might an innate “drive to be liked / admired” work?

(15:52) 4.4.3 Side note: Should we make AGIs with a “drive to be liked / admired”?

(17:37) 4.5 Our tendency to pick careers, preferences, clothes, beliefs, etc. that seem “high-status”

(18:17) 4.5.1 Path 1: (I like / admire Alice) and (Alice likes X) → (I like X) → (I try to do X)

(19:19) 4.5.2 Path 2: (Alice likes X) → (if I do X, then Alice will like / admire me more) → (I try to do X)

(19:59) 4.6 Our tendency to want people we like / admire to “lead”—i.e., to afford them more “social status”

(21:36) 4.6.1 Side note: prestige versus dominance

(22:09) 4.7 My self-esteem (i.e., the valence I assign to “myself”) is not the same as my tendency to be liked / admired. But it is strongly affected by that.

(23:58) 4.7.1 Connection to active self-concept formation, externalization of ego-dystonic tendencies, etc.

(26:18) 4.8 Conclusion

The original text contained 5 footnotes which were omitted from this narration.

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First published:
June 10th, 2024

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/LaeP39jJpfPyoiSZm/valence-series-4-valence-and-liking-admiring

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

“[Valence series] 4. Valence & Liking / Admiring” by Steven Byrnes

LessWrong (30+ Karma)