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Vladimir_Golovin comments on Open Thread, June 2-15, 2013 - Less Wrong Discussion

5 Post author: TimS 02 June 2013 02:22AM

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Comment author: Larks 07 June 2013 10:31:57AM *  7 points [-]

Suppose the placebo effects exists; if you believe you will get better, then you will indeed get recover.

B(h) -> h

Unfortunately, it only works if you believe you will get better - and it could be hard to see why it'd be rational to believe that in the first place. Fortunately, rationalists have a solution to this problem.

We're scientific sorts of people, so we believe in the placebo effect - that is:

B( B(h) -> h )

and we're also logical sort of people, so we believe lob's theorem

B( B(h) -> h ) -> B(h)

and hence we believe we'll be healed

B(h)

and hence, by the placebo effect,

h

And we're healed!