The opaque box was a way of framing the problem, and not part of the problem itself, which is supposed to be about your preferences for apples and oranges. I can specify the problem in terms of three identical buttons that you can press instead.
Those buttons will probably not be absolutely identical—since they will be in different spatial positions relative to each other. So an agent operating under expected utility maximization might still prefer (say) pressing the right-most button.
Real-world utility functions can literally prefer anything you can specify.
I’m actually an example of this—where I don’t otherwise care, I will pick the third option, or the option that’s related to the number three in some way (preferably related to powers of three, but multiples of 9 are preferred over other multiples of three as well). If I didn’t care very much about apples vs. oranges, I’d be fairly likely to pay a penny for the third box/button/whatever. I also know two people who feel similarly about the number 8.
In tangentially related news, I’m sad that I’m turning 28 next month. Yes, I know I’m strange.
You’re not strange. (Sorry if that sounded offensive, I didn’t mean to!) I’m likewise sad that I just turned 27. I was always the youngest in school and university, graduating with honors at 20. Getting closer to 30 now. “Where are you now golden boy, where is your famous golden touch?” Or this: “Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain, you are young and life is long and there is time to kill today.”
I’m not sad that I’m closer to 30. 30′s cool, it’s a multiple of three. I’m sad that the next time my age will be a power of three won’t be ’till I’m 81.
Cute idea, but I value signaling an interest in accuracy/not coming off like a loon over being associated with the number 3. The former actually affect things in my life.
I can specify the problem in terms of three identical buttons that you can press instead.
Please do, if you think that would make the problem clearer. The piece I’m not seeing is where UDT1 lets you choose something that expected utility does not. Does expected utility usually not allow you to have states of the world in your utility function?
It’s not supposed to be plural. Fixed.
The opaque box was a way of framing the problem, and not part of the problem itself, which is supposed to be about your preferences for apples and oranges. I can specify the problem in terms of three identical buttons that you can press instead.
Those buttons will probably not be absolutely identical—since they will be in different spatial positions relative to each other. So an agent operating under expected utility maximization might still prefer (say) pressing the right-most button.
Real-world utility functions can literally prefer anything you can specify.
I’m actually an example of this—where I don’t otherwise care, I will pick the third option, or the option that’s related to the number three in some way (preferably related to powers of three, but multiples of 9 are preferred over other multiples of three as well). If I didn’t care very much about apples vs. oranges, I’d be fairly likely to pay a penny for the third box/button/whatever. I also know two people who feel similarly about the number 8.
In tangentially related news, I’m sad that I’m turning 28 next month. Yes, I know I’m strange.
You’re not strange. (Sorry if that sounded offensive, I didn’t mean to!) I’m likewise sad that I just turned 27. I was always the youngest in school and university, graduating with honors at 20. Getting closer to 30 now. “Where are you now golden boy, where is your famous golden touch?” Or this: “Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain, you are young and life is long and there is time to kill today.”
I’m not sad that I’m closer to 30. 30′s cool, it’s a multiple of three. I’m sad that the next time my age will be a power of three won’t be ’till I’m 81.
I obviously can’t read. Let that comment stand as a monument to my stupidity =)
You mean your second annual 27th birthday?
Cute idea, but I value signaling an interest in accuracy/not coming off like a loon over being associated with the number 3. The former actually affect things in my life.
Why is that strange?
Please do, if you think that would make the problem clearer. The piece I’m not seeing is where UDT1 lets you choose something that expected utility does not. Does expected utility usually not allow you to have states of the world in your utility function?