How can we minimize regret? Can Tauchain help us?
The very human problem of regret minimization
Will Tau be able to help us solve the problem of how to minimize regret? Regret minimization is one of the main problems decision makers have, at the core of ethics (ethical dilemmas) and shopping.
The problem of how to minimize regret over a lifetime turns out to be an extremely difficult problem. The other problem(s) people have is choice anxiety and choice fatigue. We have so many different options to analyze, the world is becoming increasingly complex, the consequences for error increasingly severe, that choice anxiety and options fatigue are also a problem.
The problems of choice anxiety and options fatigue arise from the fact that attention is scarce. There are plenty of problems so a person has to typically prioritize the problems they will attempt to solve. To solve a problem often requires deep analysis of information and analysis is taxing on the human psyche as well. Analysis paralysis is basically the state of a human brain where the human is functionally paralyzed, unable to make a decision, due to concern that their decision will be less than perfect or not correct enough.
To minimize regret a person would have to avoid making decisions which they could later regret. Bounded rationality would mean that a human brain is limited in analyzing decisions to begin with to even know which decisions will lead to regret even if the human had all the information necessary (and often the human doesn't have access to the necessary information). Some people due to analysis paralysis fail to make a decision at all, putting it off, over and over again, or just take forever and a day to make a decision. In the end, the bottleneck seems to be the human brain and the ability of the human brain to analyze information, adopt rational decision making as a strategy, consistently follow it, and keep emotions in check.
How can this be resolved? The only solution I have found is not to rely on the human brain. This requires accepting that the human brain is the bottle neck to quality decision making, including morality/ethics, and only by augmenting with machines can this bottleneck be transcended. So the approach to minimizing regret while minimizing option fatigue, analysis paralysis, etc, is to use machines (intelligent machines) to assist humans in making decisions by automating certain processes, such as the data analysis, and also keeping things rational.
But speaking of regret, we should ask ourselves: what regrets do people commonly have at the end of their lives?
More important I think is to know your demographic and probabilities associated with that. The common person really has limited use as a model but if you narrow it down to your own demographic, and if you know what you would like to experience and or avoid experiencing, then you can manage answering that question for you.
as you mentioned in your post "To minimize regret a person would have to avoid making decisions which they could later regret." isn't this way we will lose our decision making ability. any way nice post. keep sharing Wishing @dana-edwards and all steem family a very happy new year
This is an interesting thought. Though I wonder what happens, when the A.I. comes to the conclusion, that of all of the avaiable solutions lead to the same 'amount' of regret (assuming regret can be quantified in complex situations).
Who makes the call then? Ultimately it's up to the human agent again in such a scenario.
Also, regret ultimately seems to me a very subjective thing, so I'm interested how a computer would process it. But I've read the wiki-link you added, and found some answers, thanks.
Have a nice day!
How is the future or future smart machines to assist people in making a decision
Ask the machines to help you answer a question.
I hate this darn computer
I wish that they would sell it
It never will do what I want
but only what I tell it
How exactly would computers lead to more rationality? They will only be as "rational" as their programming.
Otherwise you get this:
do you think regret is coming from the brains? it seems to me not. I guess it is born in the soul and that's why it has moral nature, not rational and physical one. To my mind, regret is something we feel inside when we dont get what out soul wants to get. And the brain just analyses whether we have succeed reaching the goal or not, it's more logical than sensitive, but regret is the opposite, it's more sensitive than rational. Don't you agree?
god damn dana! idk how u always manage to amaze me
I always try to take the perspective of the 90 years old Christiane laying on a sofa and telling stories of her life to her (great) grand children. Most of the times, I feel very clearly if I will regret having done or not done something. This is also something I write about on steemit: my way of downshifting for gaining more lifetime to invest in learning and expierencing new things.
Its good to have regrets at time as that can show us some direction but the point is to not get stuck into it. I would personally believe that it would be ok to make wrong decisions, regret and learn rather then being slaves to automation and surrendering ourselves to them.
I think the human being should not be afraid of taking any decision, because every decision closes the door to 10 other options that could have been made, but will not come true, because you have chosen a way you think is best. And if you once decide wrong, well, that is in the past now, and all feelings, including regret, is taking place in your hear. trust in yourself, because fear is a powerful force we should not let into our brains and thoughts. I always trust my gut, because it is the safest an most honest way to decide :)