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endoself comments on Forked Russian Roulette and Anticipation of Survival - Less Wrong Discussion

7 Post author: FeepingCreature 06 April 2012 03:57AM

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Comment author: endoself 06 April 2012 04:58:51AM 5 points [-]

Your argument definitely does not apply in general; I would not consent to walking through a box in which I am tortured and then my memory is erased in order to get $1000 on the other side.

Comment author: FeepingCreature 06 April 2012 10:14:03AM 2 points [-]

I'm not sure if I would.

Comment author: Logos01 06 April 2012 12:43:47PM 4 points [-]

It's the same argument though.

How much money would I have to pay you for you to let me rape you in a way that causes no physical trauma, after dosing you with a drug that prevents you from remembering the hour before or after it?

Would that dollar amount change if I told you I had already given you the drug?

The problem I see is your treatment of this arrangement as a "black box" of you[entering] and you[exiting]. But this is illegitimate. There were ten rounds of you[copy-that-dies] that would also be you[entering].

Have you read EY's writings on timeless decision theory? It seems to me that this is a variation.

Comment author: wedrifid 12 April 2012 09:15:47AM 0 points [-]

Your argument definitely does not apply in general; I would not consent to walking through a box in which I am tortured and then my memory is erased in order to get $1000 on the other side.

I would need more details about the erasure process, what are the side effects?

Comment author: endoself 12 April 2012 08:43:47PM 0 points [-]

I'm not sure exactly what details you want, but there are no side effects; you are left with approximately the same memories as someone who walked through a box that does not torture people. The point of including the memory erasure in the thought experiment was to prevent any harm from occurring after you left the box.

I feel like you knew this and are asking about something else, but I am not sure what. Maybe something identity-related?