Technologos comments on "Stuck In The Middle With Bruce" - Less Wrong
You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.
You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.
Comments (93)
Slightly off topic, but I doubt Magic is especially good for teaching rationality compared to other board games. There are a lot of games besides Magic and Poker that are about decision-making under uncertainty, although most aren't nearly as popular. One way to measure ones progress in rationality might be to play a wide variety of these games and keep track of one's win/loss record.
Perhaps true, but I agree with CronoDAS that a key strength of Magic is that your uncertainty isn't just statistical in the sense of "which cards am I going to get" but structural, in the sense of "can I understand the rules in a way that other people haven't thought of in order to get an advantage."
I once was in a small Magic tournament where I came in the top 4 almost entirely on the basis of my knowledge of the rules; I had far fewer cards to choose from than some of the other players, so I should otherwise have been at a substantial disadvantage.