This alternate phrasing (considering a population of 3^^^3 and choosing all dust specks vs one tortured) is actually quite a different problem. Since I care much more about my utility than the utility of a random person, then I feel a stronger pull towards giving everyone an extra dust speck as compared to the original phrasing.
I think a more accurate rephrasing would be: You will live 3^^^3 consecutive lives (via reincarnation of course). You can choose to get an extra dust speck in your eye in each lifetime, or be tortured in a single random lifetime.
I'm not sure how the population-based phrasing changes things. Note that I didn't specify whether the decider is part of that population.
And I don't think it even matters whether "I" am part of the population: if I prefer A to B for myself, I should also prefer A to B for others, regardless of how differently I weight my welfare vs. their welfare.
Today's post, Torture vs. Dust Specks was originally published on 30 October 2007. A summary (taken from the LW wiki):
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