Alicorn comments on The Mystery of the Haunted Rationalist - Less Wrong

69 Post author: Yvain 08 March 2009 08:39PM

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Comment author: Pavitra 01 October 2009 08:50:29PM 11 points [-]

Not so. If the wall works, then being a rationalist will allow you to correctly interpret the evidence of that fact, while irrationality might cause you to ignore the evidence and incorrectly conclude that the wall has no effect.

A better wish might be "I wish to believe that this wall grants wishes." If the wish is granted, then you will believe truth; and if it is not granted, then you will also believe truth.

Comment author: Alicorn 01 October 2009 09:15:52PM *  6 points [-]

Something other than the wall could grant your wish to believe that the wall grants wishes, and then you would believe a falsehood. (Unless the wall grants wishes, too, but ignored yours in particular for some reason. But that's a Gettier case.)

Comment author: Pavitra 02 October 2009 06:35:45PM 1 point [-]

p(wishgranted|~wallgrants) is negligible, I think. Still, I suppose you could just recite the entire Litany of Tarski.

What is p(wish is answered by Murphy the mad god of irony)?