“But,” says the causal decision theorist, “to take only one box, you must somehow believe that your choice can affect whether box B is empty or full—and that’s unreasonable! Omega has already left! It’s physically impossible!”
...
Unreasonable? I am a rationalist: what do I care about being unreasonable? I don’t have to conform to a particular ritual of cognition. I don’t have to take only box B because I believe my choice affects the box, even though Omega has already left. I can just… take only box B.
Looking back on it, this post is what finally shifted my intuition from two-boxing to one-boxing on Newcomb’s. I guess that counts as anecdotal evidence for the power of rationalist fanfics.
Looking back on it, this post is what finally shifted my intuition from two-boxing to one-boxing on Newcomb’s. I guess that counts as anecdotal evidence for the power of rationalist fanfics.