Originally Posted by Yakk

Happiness is distorted message given by evolution saying "this worked in the past, do more of it". That's it.

I don't worship evolution, so I don't worship happiness.

As many people have noted, there are some people who can produce happiness from nothing, and others for whom nothing can produce happiness. By the "happiness is the fundamental goal" rule, both of these people should cease action.

Technology is likely to figure out how to produce happiness cheaply and directly -- and if that is the fundamental goal of your life, you should then become a wire head and spend your entire life doing nothing.

I don't think that is a good way to live one's life.

When A implies B, and you aren't absolutely sure about A, and B seems wrong, this provides evidence that A is wrong -- that happiness shouldn't be the absolute fundamental goal, because being a wire head is not a good state to be in.

To put it another way: when wire heading is developed, all those who are motivated by maximizing their own happiness will stop playing the game of reality, and those who keep playing reality will inherit the universe.