David_Chapman comments on Probability and radical uncertainty - Less Wrong

11 Post author: David_Chapman 23 November 2013 10:34PM

You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.

Comments (71)

You are viewing a single comment's thread. Show more comments above.

Comment author: David_Chapman 24 November 2013 02:57:18AM *  1 point [-]

Well, I hope to continue the sequence... I ended this article with a question, or puzzle, or homework problem, though. Any thoughts about it?

Comment author: Bayeslisk 24 November 2013 04:38:02AM 1 point [-]

IMO the correct response is to run like hell from the box. In Thingspace, most things are very unfriendly, in much the same way that most of Mindspace contains unfriendly AIs.

Comment author: Armok_GoB 24 November 2013 04:31:49PM *  4 points [-]

Technically, almost all things in thingspace are high energy plasma.

Edit: actually most of them are probably some kind of exotic (anti-, strange-, dark- etc.) matter that'll blow up the planet.

Comment author: Bayeslisk 24 November 2013 10:49:33PM 2 points [-]

The high-energy exotic plasma not from this universe does not love or hate you. Your universe is simply a false vacuum with respect to its home universe's, which it accidentally collapses.

Comment author: David_Chapman 24 November 2013 05:07:36AM *  1 point [-]

So... you think I am probably evil, then? :-)

I gave you the box (in the thought experiment). I may not have selected it from Thingspace at random!

In fact, there's strong evidence in the text of the OP that I didn't...

Comment author: Bayeslisk 24 November 2013 06:35:26AM 3 points [-]

I am pattern-matching from fiction on "black box with evil-looking inscriptions on it". Those do not tend to end well for anyone. Also, what do you mean by strong evidence against that the box is less harmful than a given random object from Thingspace? I can /barely sort of/ see "not a random object from Thingspace"; I cannot see "EV(U(spoopy creppy black box)) > EV(U(object from Thingspace))".

Comment author: Bayeslisk 25 November 2013 09:43:44PM *  2 points [-]

EBWOP: On further reflection I find that since most of Thingspace instantaneously destroys the universe,

EV(U(spoopy creppy black box)) >>>

EV(U(object from Thingspace)).

However, what I was trying to get at was that

EV(U(spoopy creppy black box)) <=

EV(U(representative object from-class: chance-based deal boxes with "normal" outcomes)) <=

EV(U(representative object from-class: chance-based deal boxes with Thingspace-like outcomes)) <=

EV(U(representative object from-class: chance-based deal boxes with terrifyingly creatively imaginable outcomes))

Comment author: David_Chapman 24 November 2013 06:48:56PM *  1 point [-]

The evidence that I didn't select it at random was my saying “I find this one particularly interesting.”

I also claimed that "I'm probably not that evil." Of course, I might be lying about that! Still, that's a fact that ought to go into your Bayesian evaluation, no?

Comment author: Bayeslisk 24 November 2013 10:48:07PM 2 points [-]

"Interesting" tends to mean "whatever it would be, it does that more" in the context of possibly psuedo-Faustian bargains and signals of probable deceit. From what I know, I do not start with reason to trust you, and the evidence found in the OP suggests that I should update the probability that you are concealing information updating on which would lead me not to use the black box to "much higher".

Comment author: David_Chapman 25 November 2013 12:15:12AM 3 points [-]

Oh, goodness, interesting, you do think I'm evil!

I'm not sure whether to be flattered or upset or what. It's kinda cool, anyway!

Comment author: Bayeslisk 25 November 2013 01:21:54AM 2 points [-]

I think that avatar-of-you-in-this-presented-scenario does not remotely have avatar-of-me-in-this-scenario's best interests at heart, yes.

Comment author: Transfuturist 02 March 2015 06:16:47PM 0 points [-]

I hope you continue the sequence as well. :V