Re: Parallel Universes

From: Wei Dai (weidai@weidai.com)
Date: Wed Feb 12 2003 - 03:05:07 MST

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    On Wed, Feb 12, 2003 at 02:10:41AM -0500, Eliezer S. Yudkowsky wrote:
    > You know, there are days when you want to just give up and say: "Don't
    > tell ME how Bayes' Theorem works, foolish mortal." Anyway, for some
    > strange reason you appear to be applying Bayes adjustments to the measure
    > of observers and *and* to those observers' subjective probabilities.
    > That's where the double discount is coming from in your strange
    > calculations. You're applying numbers to the measure of observers that
    > just don't go there.

    I was trying to point out your double discounting by doing the same thing
    where it's more obviously wrong. Look at what you wrote earlier again:

    > p(.99)*u(.99m observers see 0 => .99m observers choose 0 => .99m observers
    > are rewarded && .01m observers see 1 => .01m observers choose 1 => .01m
    > observers are punished)
    > +
    > p(.01)*u(.99m observers see 1 => .99m observers choose 1 => .99m observers
    > are rewarded && .01m observers see 0 => .01m observers choose 0 => .01m
    > observers are punished)

    Now compare this to what I wrote:

    > >EU(choose 0)
    > >.99*u(.99m R & .01m P) + .01*u(.99m E & .01m P)
    > >=
    > >.99*.98 + .01*(990-.01)
    > >=
    > >10.8701
    >
    > Um... I just don't see where you get these numbers.

    I got them by simple substitution from your own formula. Other than
    substituting some words with symbols, I just replaced ".99m observers are
    rewarded" inside .01*u(...) with ".99m E".

    BTW, I wish you would answer my question about global versus local
    utility. Which one is the altruist-Platonist supposed to maximize, and
    what's the purpose of the other one? If there is any misunderstanding on
    my part about what you're saying, getting this question answered should
    help correct that.



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