DanielLC comments on Stupid Questions April 2015 - Less Wrong

7 Post author: Gondolinian 02 April 2015 09:29PM

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Comment author: DanielLC 05 April 2015 06:30:10PM -1 points [-]

Being kidnapped, promising to pay ransom, being released, and not paying is better than being kidnapped, promising to pay ransom, being released, and paying. Keeping your word gives no advantage.

Comment author: Jiro 06 April 2015 01:13:00AM 1 point [-]

Precommitment is relevant in a second way here. You have to (before being released) precommit to pay ransom after being released. Once you are released, your precommitment would force you to pay the ransom afterwards.

If you are incapable of rewiring your brain so that you will pay the ransom, there could instead be laws recognizing that contracts made under duress are valid. That would have the effect of precommitting.

This precommitment is disadvantageous in the sense that being released without it is better than being released with it, but it also increases your chance of surviving to be released rather than being shot for not having any ransom. Precommitments tend to work like that--precommitting to do an action that can only harm you in a particular situation can be overall advantageous because it alters the odds of being in that situation.

Comment author: DanielLC 06 April 2015 06:17:59AM -1 points [-]

Currently, laws do not enforce contracts made under duress. How frequently are people murdered in protest of this?