[andrewclunn]

Wrong. We have no notion if we are more or less populas than other species, so we should assome that we are one of the many smaller (in number) by virtue of that being the more common, thus drawing the exact opposite conclusions.

[deciplex]

That's what we should expect to see when looking for other planets with intelligent life. But you, andrewclunn, should expect to live among one of the more populous species.

[andrewclunn]

That's the point, from the individual's perspective the correct prediction is completely contrary to that from the species' perspective based on this approach.

[deciplex]

Right. So you, the individual reading the article and posting on HN, should expect to live among one of the more populous species of life in the universe.

e: Maybe you are implicitly assuming that the workflow for "determining" who you are born as goes: 1. pick a random species 2. pick a random individual in that species. But it's more like: 1. pick a random individual.