Nisan comments on You're in Newcomb's Box - Less Wrong

40 Post author: HonoreDB 05 February 2011 08:46PM

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Comment author: TobyBartels 07 February 2011 02:36:59PM 1 point [-]

I guess that this is true if by ‘commit’ you mean to satisfy all of the requirements that Omega uses to predict your actions. For some variations of Newcomb's problem (including all versions in which Omega is perfect), to do this is necessarily to pick one box, but if not, then yes, you should ‘commit’ to one-boxing and then pick both boxes.

But even so, this usage of ‘commit’ is rather stronger than I would normally use that word for. If I were Omega and I were playing Newcomb with you (but not my version which I designed to be analogous to Azathoth), then I wouldn't fill Box B, and you would lose.

Comment author: ArisKatsaris 07 February 2011 03:41:31PM -1 points [-]

Well, here's the paradox: strict one-boxers in transparent Newcomb argue that they must one-box always, even when the box is empty, and therefore the boxes will be full.

Not just that, they argue that they must one-box always, even when the box is empty, BECAUSE then the box will be full.

Is that actually committment, or is that just doublethink, ability to hold two contradictory ideas at the same time? How can you commit to taking a course of action (grabbing an empty box) in order to make that course of action (grabbing an empty box) impossible?

And yeah, I'm sure I'd lose at playing transparent Newcomb, but I'm not sure that anyone but a master of doublethink could win it.

Comment author: Nisan 07 February 2011 07:05:24PM 5 points [-]

I'm not sure that anyone but a master of doublethink could win it.

If I know that I'm going to play transparent Newcomb, and the only way to win at transparent Newcomb is to become a master of doublethink, then I want to become a master of doublethink.