But doesn’t statistical mechanics also fall out of decision theory? Or are you saying that perspective is not a useful one in that it doesn’t explain the arrow of time? (I’m really tired right now, I apologize if I’m only half-responding to the things you’re actually saying.)
Yup. Bayesian agents aren’t good at thinking about themselves, and if you can’t think about yourself you’re in trouble when someone starts offering you bets. I feel like there must be a way in which the whole thing is ironic in a philosophically deep way but I can’t quite put my finger on it.
Basically there is ontology that reifies decision theory as fundamental and reasons about everything in terms of it. It’s a powerful ontology, and often it is a beautiful ontology. Even better it’s still inchoate and so it’s not yet as beautiful as it someday will be.
But doesn’t statistical mechanics also fall out of decision theory? Or are you saying that perspective is not a useful one in that it doesn’t explain the arrow of time? (I’m really tired right now, I apologize if I’m only half-responding to the things you’re actually saying.)
I don’t see how.
Are you using decision theory to refer even to the process whereby you decide what to believe, and not just the process whereby you decide what to do?
Yup. Bayesian agents aren’t good at thinking about themselves, and if you can’t think about yourself you’re in trouble when someone starts offering you bets. I feel like there must be a way in which the whole thing is ironic in a philosophically deep way but I can’t quite put my finger on it.
Basically there is ontology that reifies decision theory as fundamental and reasons about everything in terms of it. It’s a powerful ontology, and often it is a beautiful ontology. Even better it’s still inchoate and so it’s not yet as beautiful as it someday will be.