Disagree-voted. I think there are issues with the Neglectedness heuristic, but I don’t think the N in ITN is fully captured by I and T.
For example, one possible rephrasing of ITN is: (certainly not covering all the ways in which it is used)
Would it be good to solve problem P?
Can I solve P?
How many other people are trying to solve P?
I think this is a great way to decompose some decision problems. For instance, it seems very useful for thinking about prioritizing research, because (3) helps you answer the important question “If I don’t solve P, will someone else?” (even if this is also affected by 2).
(edited. Originally, I put the question “If I don’t solve P, will someone else?” under 3., which was a bit sloppy)
What is gained by adding the third thing? If the answer to #2 is “yes,” then why does it matter if the answer to #3 is “a lot,” and likewise in the opposite case, where the answers are “no” and “very few”?
Edit: actually yeah the “will someone else” point seems quite relevant.
Disagree-voted. I think there are issues with the Neglectedness heuristic, but I don’t think the N in ITN is fully captured by I and T.
For example, one possible rephrasing of ITN is: (certainly not covering all the ways in which it is used)
Would it be good to solve problem P?
Can I solve P?
How many other people are trying to solve P?
I think this is a great way to decompose some decision problems. For instance, it seems very useful for thinking about prioritizing research, because (3) helps you answer the important question “If I don’t solve P, will someone else?” (even if this is also affected by 2).
(edited. Originally, I put the question “If I don’t solve P, will someone else?” under 3., which was a bit sloppy)
What is gained by adding the third thing? If the answer to #2 is “yes,” then why does it matter if the answer to #3 is “a lot,” and likewise in the opposite case, where the answers are “no” and “very few”?Edit: actually yeah the “will someone else” point seems quite relevant.