Also, Drescher points out a particular error that DBDT makes: in Newcomb's problem, if Omega chooses the contents of the box before the agent is born, the agent will two-box.
The actual objection was:
I don't think DBDT gives the right answer if the predictor's snapshot of the local universe-state was taken before the agent was born (or before humans evolved, or whatever), because the "critical point", as Fisher defines it, occurs too late.
Surely, as I pointed out at the time, the author already covered that in the paper. See this bit:
For now, let us take it for granted that, in short-duration scenarios like Newcomb’s problem and the psychologically-similar prisoners’ dilemma, the critical point comes prior to the first events mentioned in standard descriptions of these scenarios. (See Figure 1.)
...and this bit:
The critical point in Newcomb’s problem comes prior to the visit to the predictor.
Yudkowsky's objection is based on the same mistake. He says:
there's still a possibility that DBDT will end up two-boxing if Omega takes a snapshot of the (classical) universe a billion years ago before DBDT places the "critical point"
...but this directly contradicts what it says in the paper about where that point is located:
the critical point must come before the contents of the opaque box are determined.
...and...
the critical point comes prior to the first events mentioned in standard descriptions of these scenarios.
Again, what is DBDT to do in Drescher's counterexample? All the author says is that he doesn't consider that case in the paper, or possibly considers it lying outside the scope of his decision theory. TDT and UDT can deal with that case, and give the right answer, whereas DBDT, if applied in that (perhaps unintended) case, gives the wrong answer.
Basically this: "Eliezer Yudkowsky writes and pretends he's an AI researcher but probably hasn't written so much as an Eliza bot."
While the Eliezer S. Yudkowsky site has lots of divulgation articles and his work on rationality is of indisputable value, I find myself at a loss when I want to respond to this. Which frustrates me very much.
So, to avoid this sort of situation in the future, I have to ask: What did the man, Eliezer S. Yudkowsky, actually accomplish in his own field?
Please don't downvote the hell out of me, I'm just trying to create a future reference for this sort of annoyance.