But with the possible exception of formalised mathematics, there is nothing that one person can say to another that cannot be “gamed”. (I confidently expect that the instant reaction of most readers of LessWrong to that statement will be to try to think up an exception.)
All maximizations are going to take place in the future: they already haven’t taken place up to the present.
Your complaint is that “that thing”, the future you, isn’t similar enough to the present you. Fair enough. It’s hard to say anything about maximizing your utility as it is now if we assume zero knowledge about your utility function.
Maximise my utility!
I will brainwash you into representing your utility by a number on a piece of paper. Then I will write ∞ on it.
That isn’t maximising my utility. That is maximising the utility of some other thing in the future.
All maximizations are going to take place in the future: they already haven’t taken place up to the present.
Your complaint is that “that thing”, the future you, isn’t similar enough to the present you. Fair enough. It’s hard to say anything about maximizing your utility as it is now if we assume zero knowledge about your utility function.