From: Emlyn O'regan (oregan.emlyn@healthsolve.com.au)
Date: Tue Jun 11 2002 - 19:31:32 MDT
> Eugen writes
>
> > On Mon, 10 Jun 2002, Lee Corbin wrote:
> >
> > > 2. You are informed by the OS that you have been scheduled
> > > to run exactly twice in the history of the universe.
> > > Thus, *this* may be the first or second time from your
> > > perspective (although since they're identical, the point
> > > is moot, and I give it only for the purpose of description).
> > > You have the following choice: if you press button A then
> > > the second run will be terminated precisely at the moment
> > > that the button is pressed. (In other words, your first
> > > run continues regardless of whether you press A or not;
> > > but the second run is affected.) Do you press the button
> > > for ten dollars?
> >
> > No, even if both trajectories are to be identical. I would
> try to remove
> > constraints keeping them both synched, thus allowing them
> to become two
> > separate people.
>
> The key part of the hypothesis we are discussing is that the
> runs are completely identical. What do you mean by "synched"?
> My scenario is exactly equivalent to a specific Turing Machine
> (one that is clearly Eugen Leitl, assuming that he has a finite
> lifespan) being run through twice by the Operating System, or
> God, or whatever.
>
> So I think that they are already "separate people" in your
> terminology, but I'm not certain.
>
> Anyway, I totally agree: I would not press button A, and I
> would heartily recommend that no one does. (In the extreme
> case, there are 10^12 of you running---one in each galaxy---
> and all but one will be terminated if A is pressed. It would
> be unwise of anyone who values his life to press A.)
>
> John, however, disagrees:
>
> > I'd do it for ten cents. The only problem is that I'd have
> no way of telling
> > if the button really did what you claimed it did because
> when I pressed it I
> > would observe absolutely no change except that now I have
> an extra dime.
>
> Of course you wouldn't have any way to tell: that's implicit in
> the scenario. But neither would you be able to tell if a 20 megaton
> H-bomb detonated near you a second from now. However, anyone who
> tried to make sense of John Clark's life would be forced to admit
> that the explosion (or the button push) deprived him of benefit.
> You don't want that.
>
> Lee
>
It doesn't impact on the John Clarke who pushes that button at all. The only
consideration might be, if he believes you, that you are asking him to kill
somebody for 10 cents.
Hey, actually these are not identical runs. One of the simulations gets the
offer to push a button. The others don't. Thus there is a relatively
significant diversion.
How would the sims whose runs terminate ever experience that? It would be
outside their experience. It's not like it'd be a personal tradgedy.
Interesting.
Emlyn
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