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lessdazed comments on Connecting Your Beliefs (a call for help) - Less Wrong Discussion

24 Post author: lukeprog 20 November 2011 05:18AM

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Tags: rationality

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Comment author: lessdazed 21 November 2011 12:59:45AM 13 points [-]

The problem is that the utility might be so high (or low) that when you multiply it by this tiny probability you still get something huge.

Don't worry about it; if you decline a Pascal's mugging I'll cause positive utility equal to twice the amount of negative utility you were threatened with, and if you accept one I'll cause negative utility equal to twice what you were threatened with.

Trust me.

Comment author: orthonormal 25 November 2011 06:15:57PM 1 point [-]

Excuse me, I'm going to go and use this on all my friends.

Comment author: endoself 21 November 2011 02:23:50AM 0 points [-]

Why did I never think of this? I mean I have thought of very similar things in a thought experiment sense and I've even used it to explain to people that paying the mugging cannot be something correct but unpalatable, but it never occurred to me to use it on someone.

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