6. You are in a featureless white room. In the center is a big red button with the label “Click here to be tortured”. Do you click the button and learn more about this mysterious room or do you not press the button and avoid potentially being tortured?
This example seems artificial but I think there are real life equivalents.
I might walk home at night. I have the choice to go through a dark allay and I have fear of going through the alley. Should I go through the dark alley to learn information about the dark alley?
I don’t think anybody is going to argue that walking through the alley is an effective way to learn information about what happens in dark alleys.
If you are interesting in learning about dangers of dark alleys you rather read statistics and go through other motions. That’s true even if you care more about epistemic rationality then winning.
This example seems artificial but I think there are real life equivalents.
I might walk home at night. I have the choice to go through a dark allay and I have fear of going through the alley. Should I go through the dark alley to learn information about the dark alley?
I don’t think anybody is going to argue that walking through the alley is an effective way to learn information about what happens in dark alleys.
If you are interesting in learning about dangers of dark alleys you rather read statistics and go through other motions. That’s true even if you care more about epistemic rationality then winning.