## [DC][HF] "Good Night"

* Author: u/erwgv3g34 *
* URL: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/212395/7/flashes-of-insight/good-night-572
* Score: 0

* Created: 2014-08-25T18:14:08

### Post:

[Link to content](http://www.fimfiction.net/story/212395/7/flashes-of-insight/good-night-572)

### Comments:

> **u/eaglejarl** [+5]  (6 hours later)
> 
> So...the message here is that immortality sucks and it's better to die than do the thing that will make it not suck?

>> **u/Empiricist_or_not** [+6]  *Aspiring polite Hegemonizing swarm* (9 hours later)
>> 
>> Seems that way, and frustratingly apparently it's rational to use anecdotal evidence to avoid examining the things that will make it not suck. Seems like an anti-rationalist anti-rational story if I ever saw one.

>>> **u/eaglejarl** [+2]  (10 hours later)
>>> 
>>> So it's not just me. Good. Not sure why this showed up here.

>> **u/ArisKatsaris** [+2]  *Sidebar Contender* (8 days later)
>> 
>> I think that's slightly mean-spirited towards the story: Twilight's is one perspective. Luna's was another, Cadence's a yet third. Celestia is left undecided as to how to proceed.
>> 
>> Neither Luna nor Cadence found immortality to suck, but Twilight finds a simple end to her existence to be more tasteful than what the paths these two took -- or at least what said paths looks like from Twilight's external point of view.
>> 
>> This was basically a story discussing transhumanist ideas, not really a "rationalist" story.

>>> **u/eaglejarl** [+2]  (8 days later)
>>> 
>>> Well, let's examine the options:
>>> 
>>> * Twilight: decides that her life is boring and / or pointless. Prefers dying to trying anything that might change that fact. 
>>> * Cadence: decides that wireheading is the best possible use of an immortal's existence. 
>>> * Celestia: keeps doing the same thing (re-creating Equestria and its ponies over and over) instead of trying anything new. 
>>> * Luna: Transcends. Granted, this appears to be a positive outcome, or at least might be. We simply have no data -- the only thing we know is that all prior interests and attachments cease to matter. 
>>> 
>>> Also, the protagonist's decision should legitimately receive a greater weighting than the other characters'.

>> **u/Zephyr1011** [+2]  *Potentially Unfriendly Aspiring Divinity* (16 hours later)
>> 
>> And they completely ignore that intelligence enhancements might enable them to think of a solution to their problems.

> **u/None** [+2]  (2 hours later)
> 
> The other stories are good as well. At least [two](http://www.fimfiction.net/story/212395/3/flashes-of-insight/paradigm-shift-487) of [them](http://www.fimfiction.net/story/212395/4/flashes-of-insight/no-free-lunch-490) are about economics.

> **u/erwgv3g34** [+1]  (11 seconds later)
> 
> This was [posted](http://lesswrong.com/lw/kug/open_thread_2531_august_2014/b91g) on Less Wrong today and I figured it should be posted here as well.

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