Econ job market paper: tractably optimizing complex utilities means giving up rational coherence
xuanalogue · x · 2026-09-18
xuanalogue shares the PhD job market paper "Computationally Tractable Choice", which applies computer science models to behavioral economics. Its key claim: tractably optimizing sufficiently complex utility functions is easier if you give up rational coherence — so rationally maximizing a simple goal (like paperclips) isn't necessarily easier than maximizing a complex but computationally tractable one.
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