MC_Escherichia comments on Counterfactual Calculation and Observational Knowledge - Less Wrong

11 Post author: Vladimir_Nesov 31 January 2011 04:28PM

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Tags: decision_theory udt counterfactual_calculation

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Comment author: MC_Escherichia 31 January 2011 07:21:26PM *  0 points [-]

Ignoring Bostrom's book on how to deal with observer selection effects (did Omega go looking for a Wrong Calculator world and report it? Did Omega go looking for an Odd World to report to you? Did Omega pick at random from all possible worlds? Did Omega roll a four-sided die to determine which world to report?)

Actually, isn't this the very heart of the matter? In my other comment here I assumed Omega would always ask what the correct answer is if the calculator shows The Other Result; if that's not the case everything changes.

Comment author: Vladimir_Nesov 01 February 2011 02:46:20PM *  0 points [-]

The answer does depend on this fact, but since this fact wasn't specified, assume uncertainty (say, Omega always appears when you observe "even" and had pasta for breakfast).

Comment author: lukstafi 01 February 2011 12:30:51AM *  0 points [-]

Ignoring Bostrom's book on how to deal with observer selection effects

Actually, isn't this the very heart of the matter?

Not by my understanding (but I decided to address it in a top-level comment). ETA: yes, in my updated understanding.

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