When one has a problem one has trouble with, it is a good idea often to try to make simpler versions or alternate versions to see if one can solve those and get insight from that. This entry seems to be an example of something that is worryingly common on LW, taking a difficult to understand problem, and looking at even more general, difficult versions. Sometimes this can also be helpful. But more often, it isn’t.
I’m not using this problem to solve the original newcomb’s problem, that one is already solved.
“We are doing this, not because it is easy, but because it is difficult” (I forgot the source)
I understand where you’re coming from with that idea, but this post isn’t a reduction of a problem, it is a new problem in itself (bearing elements of a similar, but distinct problem).
When one has a problem one has trouble with, it is a good idea often to try to make simpler versions or alternate versions to see if one can solve those and get insight from that. This entry seems to be an example of something that is worryingly common on LW, taking a difficult to understand problem, and looking at even more general, difficult versions. Sometimes this can also be helpful. But more often, it isn’t.
I’m not using this problem to solve the original newcomb’s problem, that one is already solved. “We are doing this, not because it is easy, but because it is difficult” (I forgot the source) I understand where you’re coming from with that idea, but this post isn’t a reduction of a problem, it is a new problem in itself (bearing elements of a similar, but distinct problem).
Kennedy. About going to the moon in the sixties.
It wouldn’t be an impressive signal of capitalism’s superiority over communism if the signal was cheap.
And doing the other things!