I think I need to clarify how it works when things that are totally inessential are being disallowed, then.
Consider your wish for information again: What if the Genie says:
Genie A: “Well, I can’t write down the information, because writing it is totally inessential to giving you the information, and my wishing powers do not allow me to do things that are totally inessential to giving you the information.… not since I hurt that fellow by writing something in radioactive luminescent paint”
Genie A: “And I can’t speak the information, because speaking it is totally inessential to giving you the information, and my wishing powers do not allow me to do things that are totally inessential to giving you the information… not since I hurt that other fellow by answering at 170 decibels.”
Genie A: “And I can’t simply alter your mind so that the information is present, because directly altering your brain is totally inessential… you see where I’m going with this. So what you should wish for with your second wish is that I can do things that are totally inessential to the wish… so that I can actually grant your wishes.”
All of that SOUNDS silly. But it also seems at least partially true from the genie’s perspective: Writing isn’t essential, he can speak, speaking isn’t essential, because he can write, brain alteration isn’t essential, etc, but having some way of conveying the information to you IS essential. So presumably, the genie gets to choose at least one method from a list of choices… except choosing among a set of methods is what allowed him to hurt people in the first place. (By choosing a method that was set for arbitrarily maximized mischief)
Unless the Genie doesn’t get to select methods until you tell him (hence, making those methods essential to the wish, resolving the problem), however, that could lead to an entirely different approach to mischief.
Genie B: “Okay: First you’ll have to tell me whether you want me to write it down, speak it out loud, or something else.”
Me: “Write it down”
Genie B: “Okay: Next, you’ll have to tell me whether you want me to write it with a pen, a pencil, or something else.”
Me: “A Pen.”
Genie B: “Okay: Next, you’ll have to tell me whether you want to write it down with a black pen, a blue pen, or something else.”
Me: “Black.”
Genie B: “Okay. Now you’ll have to tell me whether you want to write it on lined paper, copy paper, or something else.”
Me: “Are you going to actually get to writing down the perspicuous wish? How many of these questions do I have left?”
Genie B: “999,996, approximately.”
Me: “Seriously?”
Neither Genie A nor Genie B is actually helping you in the way you had in mind, but their approaches to not helping you are quite different. Which (if either) fits better with your vision of a mischievous genie?
I think I need to clarify how it works when things that are totally inessential are being disallowed, then.
Consider your wish for information again: What if the Genie says:
Genie A: “Well, I can’t write down the information, because writing it is totally inessential to giving you the information, and my wishing powers do not allow me to do things that are totally inessential to giving you the information.… not since I hurt that fellow by writing something in radioactive luminescent paint”
Genie A: “And I can’t speak the information, because speaking it is totally inessential to giving you the information, and my wishing powers do not allow me to do things that are totally inessential to giving you the information… not since I hurt that other fellow by answering at 170 decibels.”
Genie A: “And I can’t simply alter your mind so that the information is present, because directly altering your brain is totally inessential… you see where I’m going with this. So what you should wish for with your second wish is that I can do things that are totally inessential to the wish… so that I can actually grant your wishes.”
All of that SOUNDS silly. But it also seems at least partially true from the genie’s perspective: Writing isn’t essential, he can speak, speaking isn’t essential, because he can write, brain alteration isn’t essential, etc, but having some way of conveying the information to you IS essential. So presumably, the genie gets to choose at least one method from a list of choices… except choosing among a set of methods is what allowed him to hurt people in the first place. (By choosing a method that was set for arbitrarily maximized mischief)
Unless the Genie doesn’t get to select methods until you tell him (hence, making those methods essential to the wish, resolving the problem), however, that could lead to an entirely different approach to mischief.
Genie B: “Okay: First you’ll have to tell me whether you want me to write it down, speak it out loud, or something else.”
Me: “Write it down”
Genie B: “Okay: Next, you’ll have to tell me whether you want me to write it with a pen, a pencil, or something else.”
Me: “A Pen.”
Genie B: “Okay: Next, you’ll have to tell me whether you want to write it down with a black pen, a blue pen, or something else.”
Me: “Black.”
Genie B: “Okay. Now you’ll have to tell me whether you want to write it on lined paper, copy paper, or something else.”
Me: “Are you going to actually get to writing down the perspicuous wish? How many of these questions do I have left?”
Genie B: “999,996, approximately.”
Me: “Seriously?”
Neither Genie A nor Genie B is actually helping you in the way you had in mind, but their approaches to not helping you are quite different. Which (if either) fits better with your vision of a mischievous genie?