Least Convenient Possible World
Updated 2026-09-11
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
The principle asks that an ethical or logical claim be evaluated not only where it works comfortably but also in the least convenient world still logically possible, the scenario constructed specifically to stress it. If the principle survives there, it earns the status of a rule; if it only holds in favorable conditions, it is decoration rather than a principle. The method forces the holder to find the boundary of the belief, which is more informative than any number of agreeing examples.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Build the worst case: construct the scenario that pressures your principle the most. - Check survival: the belief counts as a rule only if it still holds there. - Locate the boundary: record exactly where the principle breaks, if it ever does.
Anchor fast decisions
Agreeing examples place no load on a principle, so they cannot distinguish a rule from a preference. The inconvenient world is selected to make the principle's cost visible, by constructing a case where every appealing side condition is removed. If the principle still governs the answer there, it is doing the work of a rule; if it gives way, the holder has discovered the actual boundary of the belief, which is the useful result.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- lesswrong.comhttps://www.lesswrong.com/w/least-convenient-possible-worldverified
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