“However if the utility is dished out after the number has been spesified then an idler and a ongoer have exactly the same amount of utility and ought to be as optimal. 0 is not a optimum of this game so an agent that results in 0 utility is not an optimiser. If you take an agent that is an optimiser in other context then it ofcourse might not be an optimiser for this game.”
The problem with this logic is the assumption that there is a “result” of 0. While it’s certainly true that an “idler” will obtain an actual value at some point, so we can assess how they have done, there will never be a point in time that we can assess the ongoer. If we change the criteria and say that we are going to assess at a point in time then the ongoer can simply stop then and obtain the highest possible utility. But time never ends, and we never mark the ongoer’s homework, so to say he has a utility of 0 at the end is nonsense, because there is, by definition, no end to this scenario.
Essentially, if you include infinity in a maximisation scenario, expect odd results.
“However if the utility is dished out after the number has been spesified then an idler and a ongoer have exactly the same amount of utility and ought to be as optimal. 0 is not a optimum of this game so an agent that results in 0 utility is not an optimiser. If you take an agent that is an optimiser in other context then it ofcourse might not be an optimiser for this game.”
The problem with this logic is the assumption that there is a “result” of 0. While it’s certainly true that an “idler” will obtain an actual value at some point, so we can assess how they have done, there will never be a point in time that we can assess the ongoer. If we change the criteria and say that we are going to assess at a point in time then the ongoer can simply stop then and obtain the highest possible utility. But time never ends, and we never mark the ongoer’s homework, so to say he has a utility of 0 at the end is nonsense, because there is, by definition, no end to this scenario.
Essentially, if you include infinity in a maximisation scenario, expect odd results.