> 'how to reason about systems and choosing better actions, where "better" is defined as "actions that lead you to beat the game" or "achieve a better score"'
This is a double-edged sword because in the real world, actually interesting systems don't have this kind of closed feedback loop.
Training your mind for this can lead to an inside-the-box mindset where you need to find the score which would provide the external validation of your actions. For a lot of people, money provides that reassuring score, and then money becomes the primary value in one's life replacing any deeper intrinsic motivation.
Indeed; "Money is a way to keep track of the score" was explicitly stated in some of the entrepreneurial presentations I went to at the end of my degree, the first time I tried self employment.
This is a double-edged sword because in the real world, actually interesting systems don't have this kind of closed feedback loop.
Training your mind for this can lead to an inside-the-box mindset where you need to find the score which would provide the external validation of your actions. For a lot of people, money provides that reassuring score, and then money becomes the primary value in one's life replacing any deeper intrinsic motivation.