Maybe see it as a competition of wits. Between two agents whose personal goal is or isn’t compatible. If they are not of similar capability, the one with more computational resources, and how well those resources are being used, is the one which will get its way, against the other’s will if necessary. If you were “bigger” than omega, then you’d be the one to win, no matter which weird rules omega would wish to use. But omega is bigger … by definition.
In this case, the only way for the smaller agent to succeeds is to embed his own goals into the other agent’s. In practice agents aren’t omniscient or omnipotent, so even an agent orders of magnitude more powerful than another, may still fail against the latter. That would become increasingly unlikely, but not totally impossible (as in, playing lotteries).
If the difference in power is even small enough, then both agents ought to cooperate and compromise, both, since in most cases that’s how they can maximize their gains.
But in the end, once again, rationality is about reliably winning in as many cases as possible. In some cases, however unlikely and unnatural they may seem, it just can’t be achieved. That’s what optimization processes, and how powerful they are, are about. They steer the universe into very unlikely states. Including states where “rationality” is counterproductive.
Yes! Where is the money? A battle of wits has begun! It ends when a box is opened.
Of course, it’s so simple. All I have to do is divine from what I know of Omega: is it the sort of agent who would put the money in one box, or both? Now, a clever agent would put little money into only one box, because it would know that only a great fool would not reach for both. I am not a great fool, so I can clearly not take only one box. But Omega must have known I was not a great fool, and would have counted on it, so I can clearly not choose both boxes.
Truly, Omega must admit that I have a dizzying intellect.
On the other hand, perhaps I have confused this with something else.
Maybe see it as a competition of wits. Between two agents whose personal goal is or isn’t compatible. If they are not of similar capability, the one with more computational resources, and how well those resources are being used, is the one which will get its way, against the other’s will if necessary. If you were “bigger” than omega, then you’d be the one to win, no matter which weird rules omega would wish to use. But omega is bigger … by definition.
In this case, the only way for the smaller agent to succeeds is to embed his own goals into the other agent’s. In practice agents aren’t omniscient or omnipotent, so even an agent orders of magnitude more powerful than another, may still fail against the latter. That would become increasingly unlikely, but not totally impossible (as in, playing lotteries).
If the difference in power is even small enough, then both agents ought to cooperate and compromise, both, since in most cases that’s how they can maximize their gains.
But in the end, once again, rationality is about reliably winning in as many cases as possible. In some cases, however unlikely and unnatural they may seem, it just can’t be achieved. That’s what optimization processes, and how powerful they are, are about. They steer the universe into very unlikely states. Including states where “rationality” is counterproductive.
Yes! Where is the money? A battle of wits has begun! It ends when a box is opened.
Of course, it’s so simple. All I have to do is divine from what I know of Omega: is it the sort of agent who would put the money in one box, or both? Now, a clever agent would put little money into only one box, because it would know that only a great fool would not reach for both. I am not a great fool, so I can clearly not take only one box. But Omega must have known I was not a great fool, and would have counted on it, so I can clearly not choose both boxes.
Truly, Omega must admit that I have a dizzying intellect.
On the other hand, perhaps I have confused this with something else.