The Committee — A Conversation in the Senior Common Room at St Anselm's

Several days later, Mr Blottisham entered the Senior Common Room carrying an expression of renewed confidence.

This was unfortunate.

Professor Quillibrace immediately noticed.

Miss Stray noticed as well.

Neither commented.

Experience had taught them that confidence often revealed its own difficulties.

Blottisham sat down.

"I've solved it."

Quillibrace looked up from his book.

"Again?"

"This time properly."

"Excellent."

Blottisham ignored the remark.

"The problem isn't that we don't know human values."

"No?"

"The problem is that individuals disagree."

Miss Stray nodded.

"That seems plausible."

"Exactly."

Blottisham smiled.

"So we establish a committee."

The room became quiet.

Quillibrace slowly removed his spectacles.

This was never an encouraging sign.

"A committee?"

"Certainly."

"We gather philosophers, ethicists, scientists, community representatives, policymakers, and other sensible people."

"And then?"

"They determine the values."

Quillibrace looked thoughtful.

"All of them?"

"The important ones."

"I see."

Miss Stray looked interested.

"How will the committee decide?"

Blottisham seemed surprised by the question.

"They'll discuss it."

"And if they disagree?"

"They'll vote."

"And if the vote is close?"

"They'll discuss it some more."

"And if the discussion produces further disagreement?"

Blottisham frowned.

"Why are you both like this?"

Neither answered.

After a moment Quillibrace spoke.

"Suppose the committee is discussing fairness."

"Very well."

"One member believes fairness means equality of outcome."

"Fine."

"Another believes it means equality of opportunity."

"Also fine."

"A third believes the distinction is misleading."

Blottisham sighed.

"Of course they do."

"A fourth believes the first three are ignoring important historical considerations."

"Naturally."

"A fifth believes fairness cannot be understood independently of community values."

"Obviously."

"A sixth believes community values are precisely the problem."

Blottisham rubbed his eyes.

Quillibrace continued.

"The committee now disagrees."

"So they vote."

"Excellent."

The word had returned.

Blottisham felt uneasy.

Quillibrace folded his hands.

"The committee votes."

"Yes."

"Five support one definition."

"Good."

"Four support another."

"Unfortunate, but unavoidable."

"And the machine?"

"What about it?"

"The machine asks why the five are correct and the four are not."

The room became quiet.

Blottisham stared.

After a moment he said:

"Because there are more of them."

Miss Stray tilted her head.

"Does that make them correct?"

"No."

"Then why should the machine follow them?"

Blottisham hesitated.

"Because that's how committees work."

Quillibrace smiled.

"A historically important observation."

The room fell silent.

Outside, a bell rang somewhere in the college.

Inside, Blottisham appeared troubled.

Eventually he looked at Miss Stray.

"What would you do?"

She considered this.

Then she said:

"I think I would ask what problem the committee is solving."

Blottisham frowned.

"The alignment problem."

"Perhaps."

"What do you mean perhaps?"

Miss Stray closed her notebook.

"If the committee is trying to discover human values, it assumes those values already exist in some agreed form."

"Naturally."

"But the committee itself appears to disagree about them."

Blottisham blinked.

The observation lingered in the room.

Quillibrace looked quietly pleased.

Miss Stray continued.

"The committee may not be discovering values."

"What is it doing then?"

"It may be negotiating them."

The room became very quiet.

Blottisham stared at her.

Then at Quillibrace.

Then back at her.

Finally he said:

"I dislike that."

"Why?"

"Because it sounds much harder."

Quillibrace laughed softly.

"An excellent reason to believe it."

Blottisham groaned.

"There it is again."

"What?"

"'Excellent.'"

Quillibrace reopened his book.

"I am merely encouraging you."

"No, you're not."

"Perhaps not."

For a while nobody spoke.

Then Blottisham looked thoughtfully out of the window.

"If the committee is negotiating values rather than discovering them..."

"Yes?" said Miss Stray.

"...then how will it ever finish?"

Quillibrace turned a page.

The page made a small, dry sound.

"Ah," he said.

"Now you are beginning to appreciate the committee."