Just reading the excerpts, I feel like a lot of work is being done by the clause “even if they are in principle reversible”. It seems to me like the long reflection should be compatible with making very many extremely hard to reverse (but in principle reversible) changes, so long as it maintains a core of truth-seeking governing its long-term direction, and maintains a hard line against changes that aren’t even reversible in principle.
Of course if the idea is attracting such critiques that’s a sign that it’s not consistently being presented in a light that makes that clear.
It is a matter of the cost and coordination that would be required to reverse. If you allow these to be large enough, it isn’t clear than choices are ever irreversible, besides total extinction.
Just reading the excerpts, I feel like a lot of work is being done by the clause “even if they are in principle reversible”. It seems to me like the long reflection should be compatible with making very many extremely hard to reverse (but in principle reversible) changes, so long as it maintains a core of truth-seeking governing its long-term direction, and maintains a hard line against changes that aren’t even reversible in principle.
Of course if the idea is attracting such critiques that’s a sign that it’s not consistently being presented in a light that makes that clear.
It is a matter of the cost and coordination that would be required to reverse. If you allow these to be large enough, it isn’t clear than choices are ever irreversible, besides total extinction.