Is it ethically mandatory always to behave as if you know all information which you do, in fact, know?
Maybe I am missing the point, but since you do know all information which you do in fact, know, wouldn’t behaving as if you do just mean behaving… the way in which you behave? In which case, isn’t the puzzle meaningless?
On the other hand, if we understand the meaning of the puzzle to be illuminated by elriggs’ first reply to it, we could rephrase it (or rather its negation) as follows:
Is it ever ethically acceptable to play a role, other than one of our common “game” roles like poker player, surprise party thrower, etc.
I would answer this question as “yes”, but with a further appeal to honesty in my reasoning: I think that sometimes the inferential distance between you and the people around you is so great that the only way you can try to bridge it is by putting yourself into a role that they can understand. I can give more details over PM but am reluctant to share publically.
Maybe I am missing the point, but since you do know all information which you do in fact, know, wouldn’t behaving as if you do just mean behaving… the way in which you behave? In which case, isn’t the puzzle meaningless?
This is true in the same technically-correct-but-useless sense that it’s true to say something like “choosing what to do is impossible, since you will in fact do whatever you end up doing”. Unless we believe in substance dualism, or magic, or what have you, we have to conclude that our actions are determined, right? So when you do something, it’s impossible for you to have done something different! Well, ok, but having declared that, we do still have to figure out what to have for dinner, and which outfit to wear to the party, and whether to accept that job offer or not.
Neither do I think that talk of “playing roles” is very illuminating here.
OK, fair enough. So you are asking something like “is it ever ethical to keep a secret?” I would argue yes, because different people are entitled to different parts of your psyche. E.g. what I am willing to share on the internet is different from what I am willing to share in real life. Or am I missing something again?
Your best friend Carol owns a pastry shop. One day you learn that her store manager, Dave, is embezzling large sums of money from the business. What do you do?
Silly question, obvious answer: tell Carol at once! Indeed, failing to do so would be a betrayal—later, when Carol has to close the shop and file for bankruptcy, her beloved business ruined, and she learns that you knew of Dave’s treachery and said nothing—how can you face her? The friendship is over. It’s quite clear: if you know that the guy is stealing, you will tell Carol, period.
Now suppose that Dave, the pastry shop manager, is actually also a friend of yours, and your knowledge of his crime is not accidental but comes because he confides in you, having first sworn you to secrecy. Foolishly, you agreed—a poor decision in retrospect, but such is life.
And now: (a) you have information (Dave is stealing from Carol); (b) ordinarily, having such information dictates your behavior in a clear way (you must take it at once to Carol); (c) yet you have sworn to keep said information secret.
Thus the question: are you obligated to behave as if you know this information (i.e., to inform Carol of Dave’s treachery)? Or, is it morally permissible for you to behave as if you know nothing (and thus to do nothing—and not only that, but to lie if Carol asks “do you know if Dave is stealing from the shop?”, etc.)?
Maybe I am missing the point, but since you do know all information which you do in fact, know, wouldn’t behaving as if you do just mean behaving… the way in which you behave? In which case, isn’t the puzzle meaningless?
On the other hand, if we understand the meaning of the puzzle to be illuminated by elriggs’ first reply to it, we could rephrase it (or rather its negation) as follows:
I would answer this question as “yes”, but with a further appeal to honesty in my reasoning: I think that sometimes the inferential distance between you and the people around you is so great that the only way you can try to bridge it is by putting yourself into a role that they can understand. I can give more details over PM but am reluctant to share publically.
This is true in the same technically-correct-but-useless sense that it’s true to say something like “choosing what to do is impossible, since you will in fact do whatever you end up doing”. Unless we believe in substance dualism, or magic, or what have you, we have to conclude that our actions are determined, right? So when you do something, it’s impossible for you to have done something different! Well, ok, but having declared that, we do still have to figure out what to have for dinner, and which outfit to wear to the party, and whether to accept that job offer or not.
Neither do I think that talk of “playing roles” is very illuminating here.
For a better treatment of the topic, see this recent comment by Viliam.
OK, fair enough. So you are asking something like “is it ever ethical to keep a secret?” I would argue yes, because different people are entitled to different parts of your psyche. E.g. what I am willing to share on the internet is different from what I am willing to share in real life. Or am I missing something again?
Perhaps. Consider this scenario:
Your best friend Carol owns a pastry shop. One day you learn that her store manager, Dave, is embezzling large sums of money from the business. What do you do?
Silly question, obvious answer: tell Carol at once! Indeed, failing to do so would be a betrayal—later, when Carol has to close the shop and file for bankruptcy, her beloved business ruined, and she learns that you knew of Dave’s treachery and said nothing—how can you face her? The friendship is over. It’s quite clear: if you know that the guy is stealing, you will tell Carol, period.
Now suppose that Dave, the pastry shop manager, is actually also a friend of yours, and your knowledge of his crime is not accidental but comes because he confides in you, having first sworn you to secrecy. Foolishly, you agreed—a poor decision in retrospect, but such is life.
And now: (a) you have information (Dave is stealing from Carol); (b) ordinarily, having such information dictates your behavior in a clear way (you must take it at once to Carol); (c) yet you have sworn to keep said information secret.
Thus the question: are you obligated to behave as if you know this information (i.e., to inform Carol of Dave’s treachery)? Or, is it morally permissible for you to behave as if you know nothing (and thus to do nothing—and not only that, but to lie if Carol asks “do you know if Dave is stealing from the shop?”, etc.)?