timtyler comments on Decision theory: Why Pearl helps reduce “could” and “would”, but still leaves us with at least three alternatives - Less Wrong

30 Post author: AnnaSalamon 06 September 2009 06:10AM

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Comment author: timtyler 06 September 2009 05:42:25PM -2 points [-]

What do you mean?

Are you perhaps thinking of a type of classical determinism - that pre-dates the many-worlds perspective...?

Comment author: Nick_Tarleton 06 September 2009 06:25:18PM *  2 points [-]

I'm thinking of determinism. I don't know what you mean by "classical" or in what way you think many-worlds is non-"classically"-deterministic (or has any bearing on decision theory).

Comment author: timtyler 06 September 2009 07:22:10PM 0 points [-]

If all your possible actions are realised in a future multiverse of possibilities, it is not really true that all but one of those actions is "logically impossible" at the point when the decision to act is taken.

Many-worlds doesn't have a lot to do with decision theory - but it does bear on your statement about paths not taken being "impossible".

Comment author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 06 September 2009 08:26:51PM *  2 points [-]

Actually, the way that TDT defines a decision, only one decision is ever logically possible, even under many-worlds. Versions of you that did different things must have effectively computed a different decision-problem.

Comment author: timtyler 06 September 2009 08:49:52PM -1 points [-]

Worlds can split before a decision - but they can split 1 second before, 1 millisecond before - or while the decision to be made is still being evaluated.

Comment author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 06 September 2009 09:01:50PM *  1 point [-]

So? Versions of you that choose different strategies must have ended up performing different computations due to splits at whatever time, hence, under TDT, one decision-process still only makes one decision.