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Inverse View
It is not the case that When the outcome is uncertain, rational beings ought to choose in accordance with what is typically nature's purpose.
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Reasons For
2 perspectives
Reason for 1 of 2
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1.
Expected utility theory shows that rational choice under uncertainty requires weighting outcomes by probability, not deference to typical natural ends.
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2.
Aligning with nature's 'usual purpose' systematically ignores variance and tail risks that a rational agent is obligated to consider (Savage, Foundations of Statistics).
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3.
A decision procedure that ignores outcome magnitudes in favor of typicality can mandate choices that maximally harm agents in non-typical cases.
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Reason for 2 of 2
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1.
What counts as 'nature's purpose' is not empirically discoverable but is smuggled in via normative assumptions (Hume, Treatise, III.i.1).
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2.
Deriving a rational norm from observed natural patterns commits the is-ought fallacy, undermining the logical bridge between P2 and P3.
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Reasons Against
1 perspective
Reason against
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1.
Humans rarely can know future outcomes with certainty.
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2.
Experience reveals what usually happens in the course of nature.
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3.
Aligning choice with nature's usual purpose is the appropriate substitute for knowledge of the actual outcome.
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