Note that in Bostrom’s version and my revised version, the Mugger is offering a positive trade, not making a threat. Isn’t it great if more and more people offer you a googolplex expected utilons for $5? :)
Isn’t it better if these people offered you even more utilons, at better odds? :)
But I do think we should keep the impersonal mugging separate—real people have lots of instincts that kick in for the original model with an actual “mugger”/beggar. I would be tempted to dismiss the original mugger out of hand, but I realised, to my surprise, that I wasn’t so quick and eager to do so if the same problem was presented impersonally.
Note that in Bostrom’s version and my revised version, the Mugger is offering a positive trade, not making a threat. Isn’t it great if more and more people offer you a googolplex expected utilons for $5? :)
Isn’t it better if these people offered you even more utilons, at better odds? :)
But I do think we should keep the impersonal mugging separate—real people have lots of instincts that kick in for the original model with an actual “mugger”/beggar. I would be tempted to dismiss the original mugger out of hand, but I realised, to my surprise, that I wasn’t so quick and eager to do so if the same problem was presented impersonally.