What if Omega makes an identical copy of you, puts the copy in an identical situation, and uses the copy’s decision to predict what you will do? Is “whatever I decide to do, my copy will have decided the same thing” a valid argument?
No, because if Omega tells you that, then you have information that your copy doesn’t, which means that it’s not an identical situation; and if Omega doesn’t tell you, then you might just as well be the copy itself, meaning that either you can’t be predicted or you’re not playing Newcomb.
If Omega tells both of you the same thing, it lies to one of you; and in that case you’re not playing Newcomb either.
and if Omega doesn’t tell you, then you might just as well be the copy itself, meaning that either you can’t be predicted or you’re not playing Newcomb.
That’s certainly the situation I have in mind (although certainly Omega can tell both of you “I have made a copy of the person that walked into this room to simulate; you are either the copy or the original” or something to that effect). But I don’t see how either one of “you can’t be predicted or you’re not playing Newcomb” makes sense.
What if Omega makes an identical copy of you, puts the copy in an identical situation, and uses the copy’s decision to predict what you will do? Is “whatever I decide to do, my copy will have decided the same thing” a valid argument?
No, because if Omega tells you that, then you have information that your copy doesn’t, which means that it’s not an identical situation; and if Omega doesn’t tell you, then you might just as well be the copy itself, meaning that either you can’t be predicted or you’re not playing Newcomb.
If Omega tells both of you the same thing, it lies to one of you; and in that case you’re not playing Newcomb either.
Could you elaborate on this?
That’s certainly the situation I have in mind (although certainly Omega can tell both of you “I have made a copy of the person that walked into this room to simulate; you are either the copy or the original” or something to that effect). But I don’t see how either one of “you can’t be predicted or you’re not playing Newcomb” makes sense.
If you’re the copy that Omega bases its prediction of the other copy on, how does Omega predict you?