scholarly journals Should Robots be Obedient?

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Smitha Milli ◽  
Dylan Hadfield-Menell ◽  
Anca Dragan ◽  
Stuart Russell
Keyword(s):  
Model Misspecification ◽  
Good Property ◽  
Middle Ground ◽  
Misspecified Model ◽  
Better Than ◽  
The Way

Intuitively, obedience -- following the order that a human gives -- seems like a good property for a robot to have. But, we humans are not perfect and we may give orders that are not best aligned to our preferences. We show that when a human is not perfectly rational then a robot that tries to infer and act according to the human's underlying preferences can always perform better than a robot that simply follows the human's literal order. Thus, there is a tradeoff between the obedience of a robot and the value it can attain for its owner. We investigate how this tradeoff is impacted by the way the robot infers the human's preferences, showing that some methods err more on the side of obedience than others. We then analyze how performance degrades when the robot has a misspecified model of the features that the human cares about or the level of rationality of the human. Finally, we study how robots can start detecting such model misspecification. Overall, our work suggests that there might be a middle ground in which robots intelligently decide when to obey human orders, but err on the side of obedience.

Aggregation with Constraints

Utilitas ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 454-471
Author(s):  
Korbinian Rüger
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ground ◽  
Core Idea ◽  
Better Than ◽  
The Way ◽  
New View

AbstractUtilitarianism is often criticized because of its reliance on the interpersonal aggregation of harms and benefits. However, since the rejection of all forms of interpersonal aggregation strikes most people as implausible, some critics of utilitarianism have proposed theories of Limited Aggregation. These occupy the middle ground between fully aggregative and non-aggregative views. Recently, Limited Aggregation has been criticized for having counterintuitive implications that seem even worse than the counterintuitive implications of fully aggregative and non-aggregative views it tried to escape. I here propose a new view of Limited Aggregation that does better than existing accounts in this regard. It is more modest than existing accounts of Limited Aggregation, but it retains the view's core idea. This, I claim, is the thought that sometimes very strong individual claims stand in the way of realizing the best outcome.

scholarly journals Civil Religion or Nationalism? The National Day Celebrations in Norway

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 206
Author(s):  
Pål Ketil Botvar
Keyword(s):  
National Identity ◽  
General Population ◽  
Civil Religion ◽  
Religious Nationalism ◽  
Theoretical Concepts ◽  
Role Of Religion ◽  
Better Than ◽  
The Way

The Norwegian National Day (17 May, also referred to as Constitution Day) stands out as one of the most popular National Day celebrations in Europe. According to surveys, around seven out of every 10 Norwegians take part in a public celebration during this day. This means that the National Day potentially has an impact on the way people reflect upon national identity and its relationship to the Lutheran heritage. In this paper, I will focus on the role religion plays in the Norwegian National Day rituals. Researchers have described these rituals as both containing a significant religious element and being rather secularized. In this article, I discuss the extent to which the theoretical concepts civil religion and religious nationalism can help us understand the role of religion, or the absence of religion, in these rituals. Based on surveys of the general population, I analyze both indicators of civil religion and religious nationalism. The two phenomena are compared by looking at their relation to such items as patriotism, chauvinism, and xenophobia. The results show that civil religion explains participation in the National Day rituals better than religious nationalism.

scholarly journals An evaluation of the Kemtek 1000 sample processor

1988 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. Wheeler ◽  
Linzi Waiters
Keyword(s):  
Probe System ◽  
Carry Over ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Accuracy Speed ◽  
Better Than ◽  
The Way

The Kemtek 1000 Sample Processor has been evaluated for precision, accuracy, speed and reliability. Precision was better than 1.0% at all volumes tested and accuracy within ±5%. A l00-tube assay could be set up within 15 min when patient specimens plus two reagents were sampled using a two probe system. Carry-over could be reduced to <0.01% by using a sufficient number of wash steps, the latter being related to the assay requirements. Evidence was found for adsorption of protein to the probe tubing but inaccuracies due to this could be reduced by introducing wash steps between samples. Problems over 12 months have been minor and quickly resolved. The authors were pleased with the way the processor performed and their staffhave confidence in leaving it to set up their assays.

scholarly journals No news is better than evil news. Clearing up the way to face Alternative Archaeologies

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 122
Author(s):  
Jaime Almansa Sánchez
Keyword(s):  
Everyday Life ◽  
Public Archaeology ◽  
The Political ◽  
The Public ◽  
Professional Discipline ◽  
The Past ◽  
Political Interpretation ◽  
Better Than ◽  
The Way

While Archaeology started to take form as a professional discipline, Alternative Archaeologies grew in several ways. As the years went by, the image of Archaeology started being corrupted by misconceptions and a lot of imagination, and those professionals that were claiming to be scientists forgot one of their first responsibilities; the public. This lack of interest is one of the reasons why today, a vast majority of society believes in many clichés of the past that alternative archaeologists have used to build a fictitious History that is not innocent at all. From UFOs and the mysteries of great civilizations to the political interpretation of the past, the dangers of Alternative Archaeologies are clear and under our responsibility. This paper analyzes this situation in order to propose a strategy that may make us the main characters of the popular imagery in the mid-term. Since confrontation and communication do not seem to be effective approaches, we need a change in the paradigm based on Public Archaeology and the increase of our presence in everyday life.

scholarly journals THE SCORPIONS LOSE THEIR STING: Challenges to incorporation of the DSO into the SAPS

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Minnaar
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
New South ◽  
Modus Operandi ◽  
Special Operations ◽  
South African Police Service ◽  
Direct Contrast ◽  
South African Police ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
Better Than ◽  
The Way

While it would appear that the motivations to incorporate the Directorate of Special Operations (DSO) or Scorpions into a new South African Police Service directorate are largely politically driven, there are a number of practical obstacles standing in the way of a ‘smooth’ incorporation. Foremost among these is the manner of operations of the Scorpions, the way that they investigate certain crimes by means of prosecution-led teams, and their more effective use of intelligence-driven crime information. This is diametrically opposed to the SAPS investigation modus operandi, which is largely reactive. Furthermore, many of the Scorpions investigators, representing as they do a vast pool of built up experience and expertise, do not want to serve in the SAPS under the latter’s investigating regime. Other sticking points would be the fact that they are paid infinitely better than SAPS detectives, are better funded and resourced, have a far lighter case load (and one shared in a team) – all in direct contrast to members of the SAPS.

The (Mis)Fortunes of Ordinary Men

2019 ◽  
pp. 194-212
Author(s):  
Patrick Inglis
Keyword(s):  
Financial Support ◽  
Work Ethic ◽  
The Other ◽  
Middle Ground ◽  
Is Success ◽  
Religious Bias ◽  
The Way

Rarely is there a middle ground in the way poor golf caddies in Bangalore analyze their situation and the plight of others similarly disadvantaged in the society. If there is success—measured in the ability of some caddies to win consistent financial support from members—then it is a matter of their remarkable work ethic and high morals. If they fail at this effort, then it is owing to bad luck or fate. Club members and the clubs where they play golf, along with structural forms of caste and religious bias in the society at large, are rarely implicated, one way or the other. Ultimately, disadvantaged golf caddies carry forward the rhetoric and ideology of individualism, while unwittingly justifying the inequality between caddies and club members, and between a select few up-and-coming caddies and the rest.

Covey, The Negro Breaker.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederick Douglass
Keyword(s):  
The Family ◽  
Better Than ◽  
The Way

Journey to my new master’s—meditations by the way—view of Covey’s residence—the family—the author’s awkwardness as a field hand—a cruel beating—why it was given—description of Covey—first adventure at ox driving—hair breadth escapes—ox and man alike property—Covey’s manner of proceeding to whip—hard labor better than the whip...

3. Multilevel Covariance Structure Analysis by Fitting Multiple Single-Level Models

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ke-Hai Yuan ◽  
Peter M. Bentler
Keyword(s):  
Structure Analysis ◽  
Model Misspecification ◽  
Covariance Structure ◽  
Covariance Structure Analysis ◽  
Test Statistics ◽  
Single Level ◽  
Misspecified Model ◽  
Simultaneous Procedure ◽  
Error Formulas ◽  
Covariance Structure Models

Data in social and behavioral sciences are often hierarchically organized. Multilevel statistical procedures have been developed to analyze such data while taking into account the dependence of observations. When simultaneously evaluating models at all levels, a significant statistic provides no information on the level at which the model is misspecified. Model misspecification can exist at one or several levels simultaneously. When one level is misspecified, the other levels may be affected even when they are correctly specified. Motivated by these observations, we propose to separate a multilevel covariance structure into multiple single-level covariance structure models and to fit these single-level models as in conventional covariance structure analysis. A procedure for segregating the multilevel model into single-level models is developed. Five test statistics for evaluating a model at each level are provided. Standard error formulas for the separate estimators are also provided, and their efficiency is compared to simultaneous estimators. Empirical and Monte Carlo results demonstrate the advantages of the segregated procedure over the simultaneous procedure. Computer programs that will allow the developed procedure to be used in practice are also presented.

The Measurement of Ship Speed and Its Applications

1981 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 356-362
Author(s):  
W. D. J. Barker
Keyword(s):  
Royal Institute ◽  
Commercial Organizations ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Weather Damage ◽  
Ship Speed ◽  
Better Than ◽  
Consumption Curve ◽  
The Way

Captain Barker's paper was presented at a one-day seminar on The Selection and Display of Navigational Information at Sea, jointly organised by the Royal Institute of Navigation and the Nautical Institute in London on 11 December 1980.It does not seem so long ago since a shipmaster could not do better than proceed at utmost speed, mindful of sea conditions for heavy weather damage and of fog, for a successful conclusion to a commercial venture. Today the cost of bunkers may exceed the income earned on the freight. Commercial organizations carrying their own cargoes have always had to operate at speeds that relate to freight levels, but owners with their ships on charter, who were never very concerned in conserving bunkers, are now more closely scrutinized on the way they operate their ships, and particular attention is paid to the speed-consumption curve.

scholarly journals Communication of a Modern Trading Company in the Function of the Drafting of the Final Decision on Shopping

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. p39
Author(s):  
A. Vidovic
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Final Decision ◽  
Main Hypothesis ◽  
Final Consumption ◽  
Trading Company ◽  
Excellent Service ◽  
Consumption Decision ◽  
Better Than ◽  
The Way

The aim of this paper is communication of modern trading business based on two-way communication between traders and customers. It is very important for buyers to have the opportunity to express themselves freely about the products or services that a particular trading company provides, and the buyers give suggestions on what should be improved. The objective of a modern trading company is to understand each client individually and use it to facilitate the decision making of customers to prefer to work with a particular company rather than with competition. Nothing provides loyalty better than excellent service. Merchandising as a form of communication seeks to influence all of its elements and knowledge to draw attention of the person-consumer in order to adopt and memorize the content communicated to him. The company, the supermarket, the hypermarket is able to define the strategies and policies of the merchandising elements, which will help build the image of the sales, as well as the way of presenting the products, resulting in the main hypothesis of work: Timely communication with consumers influences to a large extent final consumption decision.

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