The norm of instrumental optimality can only derive its pull from non-optimizing considerations.
Evidence
A fundamental metaethical proposition can be glimpsed here. As Samuel Schefļ¬ er has explained, a normative standard of instrumental optimality for individualsā which attaches no special signiļ¬ cance to the viewpoint, actions, or other features of the agent herselfā must derive its attraction, paradoxically, from āconsiderations other than instrumental optimality.ā The contrary notion that instrumental optimality has primary normative signiļ¬ cance faces insuperable complications. For instance, as argued later in this book, there may be circumstances in which the deliberate attempt to optimize may not be the most sure route to optimization. Knowing when and how to depart from the optimization calculus in favor of more pragmatically sensible approaches therefore implies the existence of some in de pen dent agent responding to at least some additional normative criteria. ā Douglas A. Kysar, Regulating from Nowhere, 117
Categorization
- recurring: this claim recurs 2 times within its source
- XREF: connects to: Being an ethical agent requires supplying non-externally-dictated reasons for acting. ā Douglas A. Kysar, Regulating from Nowhere: Environmentalā¦, 120; Optimal action under ideal assumptions can be useless under real conditions ā Brian Christian, The Alignment Problem, 1033; Even ideal Pareto optimality smuggles in contested normative baselines rather than objectivity. ā Douglas A. Kysar, Regulating from Nowhere: Environmentalā¦, 276 (+1 more)
Broader Connections
- Optimal action under ideal assumptions can be useless under real conditions
#expands(0.82) ā Brian Christian, The Alignment Problem, 1033 - Even ideal Pareto optimality smuggles in contested normative baselines rather than objectivity.
#corroborates(0.78) ā Douglas A. Kysar, Regulating from Nowhere, 276 - A fixed definition is only optimal for some research questions.
#exemplifies(0.75) ā Erik Bleich, What Is Islamophobia and How Much Isā¦, 70