It’s more useful to view this as a problem involving source code. The alien is powerful enough to read your code, to know what you would do in any situation. This means that it’s in your own self interest to modify your source-code to one-box.
That begs the question as to whether anything analogous to “code” exists, whether anything is modifiable simply by willing it, etc. What if my mind looks like it’s going to opt for B when the alien reads me, and I change my mind by the time it’s my turn to choose? If no such thing ever happens, the problem ought to specify why that is the case, because I don’t buy the premise as it stands.
It’s more useful to view this as a problem involving source code. The alien is powerful enough to read your code, to know what you would do in any situation. This means that it’s in your own self interest to modify your source-code to one-box.
That begs the question as to whether anything analogous to “code” exists, whether anything is modifiable simply by willing it, etc. What if my mind looks like it’s going to opt for B when the alien reads me, and I change my mind by the time it’s my turn to choose? If no such thing ever happens, the problem ought to specify why that is the case, because I don’t buy the premise as it stands.