Multi-agent self
2022-09-11 — 2025-03-11
Models of the self as multiple, decomposable.
2 Internal Family Systems
Is the Internal Family Systems Model of psychotherapy actually useful? In this system, people are encouraged to think of themselves as a family of little sub-people. What would it say about us if this works?
This is, as far as I know, very different from Dissociative Identity Disorder, but maybe they connect in some way at the boundaries. Possibly also related, which self is even me?
Kaj Sotala, My current take on Internal Family Systems “parts”
Homunculi and Moral Demandingness
Sometimes, what is good for you is good for the world. There is probably a correlation. Ceteris paribus, what is good for you is likely to be good for the world. This is because (1) you are part of the world so your well-being counts for something even considered impartially, (2) in order to help, you probably need to be in reasonably good shape. But the correlation between goodness for you and goodness for the world is probably not perfect (why would the correlation be perfect?). The very best thing for you to do, impartially considered, is probably not selfishly the best thing for you to do. And this conflict doesn’t depend at all on the details of what you care about. Whether you want to maximize utility, minimize existential risk, realize American national greatness, spread Christianity, or achieve social justice, it is unlikely that what is best for you is best for the world by your own standards.
A System’s Guide edges the boundary between IFS and DID