Error comments on Dark Arts of Rationality - LessWrong

136 Post author: So8res 19 January 2014 02:47AM

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Comment author: Viliam_Bur 16 January 2014 11:44:58AM *  34 points [-]

If you find yourself on a playing field where everyone else is a TrollBot (players who cooperate with you if and only if you cooperate with DefectBot) then you should cooperate with DefectBots and defect against TrollBots.

An example from real life: DefectBot = God, TrollBots = your religious neighbors. God does not reward you for your prayers, but your neighbors may punish you socially for lack of trying. You defect against your neighbors by secretly being a member of an atheist community, and generally by not punishing other nonbelievers.

I wonder what techniques could we use to make the compartmentalization stronger and easy to turn off when it's no longer needed. Clear boundaries. A possible solution would be to use the different set of beliefs only while wearing a silly hat. Not literally silly, because I might want to use it in public without handicapping myself. But some environmental reminder. An amulet, perhaps?

Comment author: Error 16 January 2014 04:55:24PM 2 points [-]

An amulet, perhaps?

A lucky rabbit's foot?

Comment author: Viliam_Bur 17 January 2014 09:24:56AM 2 points [-]

I probably couldn't stop noticing that it was in fact one unlucky rabbit.

A rabbit's footprint, maybe.

Comment author: FeepingCreature 27 January 2014 07:09:27AM 7 points [-]

I probably couldn't stop noticing that it was in fact one unlucky rabbit.

Well yeah, you're retroactively stealing his luck.

Comment author: undermind 19 January 2014 09:47:39PM 2 points [-]

Not recommended with a Rabbi's foot, either.