wedrifid comments on Confidence levels inside and outside an argument - Less Wrong

129 Post author: Yvain 16 December 2010 03:06AM

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Comment author: wedrifid 19 December 2010 02:38:43AM 3 points [-]

Just two FFs? That doesn't seem all that improbable even forgetting all thought of world destruction. After about 100 FFs I would suspect that there was a problem with my experimental procedure (eg. internet quantum byte source broken). That too would be testable. ("I'm not going to say Abracadabra this time. FF? FF? Now I am. FF? FF?)

Comment author: Jack 19 December 2010 02:45:47AM 2 points [-]

Well two FFs by chance is 1 in 65536. And my prior for "I'm in a simulation" isn't that low. You're right about the service being broken or fraudulent and really right about needing to test what happens if I don't say Abracadabra. But you definitely don't have to wait for 100 FFs!

Comment author: wedrifid 19 December 2010 02:50:34AM 3 points [-]

Well two FFs by chance is 1 in 65536. And my prior for "I'm in a simulation" isn't that low.

That isn't the number to consider here. The relevant prior is "I'm in a simulation and this particular simulation involves the abracadabra trick". That number is quite a bit lower!

You're right about the service being broken or fraudulent and really right about needing to test what happens if I don't say Abracadabra. But you definitely don't have to wait for 100 FFs!

True enough. I estimate that I'd start testing after 4 or 5. :)

Comment author: Jack 19 December 2010 03:20:47AM *  2 points [-]

That isn't the number to consider here. The relevant prior is "I'm in a simulation and this particular simulation involves the abracadabra trick". That number is quite a bit lower!

Yeah. Hmm. I don't really have a stable estimate of that probability. Of course, it's not like like I would have stopped after two trials, but at that point I'm poring myself a drink. Worth noting that by coming up with the hypothesis I drastically increased its probability and then by mentioning it here I increased it's probability even further.

I estimate that I'd start testing after 4 or 5. :)

Would you mind attempting to narrate any internal dialog you'd imagine yourself having after the 3rd? Lol.

Comment author: wedrifid 19 December 2010 03:55:58AM *  1 point [-]

Would you mind attempting to narrate any internal dialog you'd imagine yourself having after the 3rd? Lol.

"Um. WTF? Is this even working?"

(Yes, since the test is so trivial I might even click through a test after 2. I just wouldn't start suspecting modded sims.)