nshepperd comments on Unpacking the Concept of "Blackmail" - Less Wrong

25 Post author: Vladimir_Nesov 10 December 2010 12:53AM

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Comment author: Vladimir_Nesov 10 December 2010 04:52:18AM *  0 points [-]

Agent 1 communicates that they will take option A if agent 2 takes option C and will take option B if agent 2 takes option D.

Correction: Retracted, likely wrong.

Explicit dependence bias detected. How agent 1 will decide generally depends on how agent 2 will decide (not just on the actual action, but on the algorithm, that is on how the action is defined, not just on what is being defined). In multi-agent games, this can't be sidestepped. And restatement of the problem can't sever ambient dependencies.

Comment author: nshepperd 10 December 2010 05:19:57AM 2 points [-]

I don't see how that's relevant. "I will release the child iff you give me the money, otherwise kill them" still looks like blackmail in a way "I will give you the money iff you give me the car, otherwise go shopping somewhere else" does not, even once the agents decided for whatever reason to make their dependencies explicit.