Timothy Bates

@timothycbates

Researching intelligence, conscientiousness, moral foundations & human attainment. Lots of individual differences & genetics

Edinburgh

scholar.google.com/citations?hl=e…

Joined September 2011

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Timothy Bates
@timothycbates
Feb 18, 2025
I think this is the first report of the heritability of Utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is surprisingly heritable! Second, it reflects two underlying biological systems: 1) A flat moral circle, treating self, family and strangers as substitutable. 2) Treating people as means,
Timothy Bates
@timothycbates
Aug 28
John Adams on property: “Suppose a nation, rich and poor, high and low, ten millions in number, all assembled together; not more than one or two millions will have lands, houses, or any personal property; if we take into the account the women and children, or even if we leave
Timothy Bates
@timothycbates
Aug 27
Outsized Belgian signatories: Guess 20% appointing themselves to the local branch of the hit squad, 70% fearing violent dispossession? (+10% confused :-) ). Like watching “High Noon” when “the judge has left town, Harvey’s quit, and I’m having trouble getting deputies” :-)
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Timothy Bates
@timothycbates
Aug 20
Smart people know more about wine :-)
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Timothy Bates
@timothycbates
Aug 19
This is an important understanding: game theory tells you what an optimal algorithm would do, given some “x” to optimise. Humans evolved motives - feelings to which we respond automatically. Game theory says almost nothing about the motives such evolved systems have (envy, anger,
Geoffrey Irving
@geoffreyirving
Aug 18
One of the most inspiring thoughts I've heard in the last year was from a former Secretary of the Navy, when I asked him what he thought about game theoretic dynamics around the superintelligence ramp potentially driving us to kinetic war over the coming years. They noted that