That’s kind of a cool story, but that genie is I think simply malevolent. I have in mind the genie of lore, which I think is captured by these rules: first, to satisfy the wisher that the wish was fulfilled as stated, and second, to make the wisher regret having wished for that and third, the genie isn’t allowed to do anything else. I don’t think your scenario satisfies these rules.
Well, that’s true, based on those rules. The first person dies before the wish is completed, so clearly he wasn’t satisfied. Let me pick a comparably hazardous interpretation that does seem to follow those rules.
The Genie writes down the perspicuous instructions in highly Radioactive, Radioluminescent Paint, comparable to that which poisoned people in the 1900′s but worse, in a massive, bold font. The instructions are ‘Leave the area immediately and wish to be cured of Radiation poisoning.’
When the wisher realizes that they have in fact received a near immediately fatal dose of radiation, they leave the area, follow the wish and seem to be cured and not die. When they call out the Genie for putting them in a deadly situation and forcing them to burn a wish to get out of it, the genie refers them to Jafar doing something similar to Abis Mal in Aladdin 2. The Genie DID give them a perfectly valid instructions on a concise wish. Had the Genie made the instructions longer, they would have died of radiation poisoning before reading them and wishing for it, and instructions which take longer than your lifespan to use hardly seem to the Genie to be perspicuous.
Is this more in mind with what you were thinking of?
Is this more in mind with what you were thinking of?
That’s certainly a lot closer. I guess my question is: does this satisfy rule number three? One might worry that exposing the wisher to a high dose of radiation is totally inessential to the presentation of an explanation of what to wish for. Are you satisfied that your story differs from this one?
Me: O Genie, my first wish is for your to tell me clearly me what I should ask for!
[The Genie draws a firearm and shoots me in the stomach]
Genie: First, wish for immediate medical attention for a gunshot wound.
This story, it seems to me, would violate rule three.
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?
That’s kind of a cool story, but that genie is I think simply malevolent. I have in mind the genie of lore, which I think is captured by these rules: first, to satisfy the wisher that the wish was fulfilled as stated, and second, to make the wisher regret having wished for that and third, the genie isn’t allowed to do anything else. I don’t think your scenario satisfies these rules.
Well, that’s true, based on those rules. The first person dies before the wish is completed, so clearly he wasn’t satisfied. Let me pick a comparably hazardous interpretation that does seem to follow those rules.
The Genie writes down the perspicuous instructions in highly Radioactive, Radioluminescent Paint, comparable to that which poisoned people in the 1900′s but worse, in a massive, bold font. The instructions are ‘Leave the area immediately and wish to be cured of Radiation poisoning.’
When the wisher realizes that they have in fact received a near immediately fatal dose of radiation, they leave the area, follow the wish and seem to be cured and not die. When they call out the Genie for putting them in a deadly situation and forcing them to burn a wish to get out of it, the genie refers them to Jafar doing something similar to Abis Mal in Aladdin 2. The Genie DID give them a perfectly valid instructions on a concise wish. Had the Genie made the instructions longer, they would have died of radiation poisoning before reading them and wishing for it, and instructions which take longer than your lifespan to use hardly seem to the Genie to be perspicuous.
Is this more in mind with what you were thinking of?
That’s certainly a lot closer. I guess my question is: does this satisfy rule number three? One might worry that exposing the wisher to a high dose of radiation is totally inessential to the presentation of an explanation of what to wish for. Are you satisfied that your story differs from this one?
Me: O Genie, my first wish is for your to tell me clearly me what I should ask for!
[The Genie draws a firearm and shoots me in the stomach]
Genie: First, wish for immediate medical attention for a gunshot wound.
This story, it seems to me, would violate rule three.
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?