Kingreaper comments on Unpacking the Concept of “Blackmail”

Kingreaper 19 Dec 2010 0:24 UTC
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Obviously, the question is, why, what feature allows you to make that distinction.

Well, in one case, there are a set of alterations you could make to your past self’s mind that would change the events.

In the other, there aren’t.

And again, why would one care about existence of some world where something is possible, if it’s not the world one wants to control?

Because it allows you to consistently reason about cause and effect efficiently.
- Vladimir_Nesov 19 Dec 2010 0:26 UTC
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  Because it allows you to consistently reason about cause and effect efficiently.
  
  If it’s not about the effect in the actual world, why is it relevant?
  - Kingreaper 19 Dec 2010 0:57 UTC
    −2 points
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    If it’s not about the effect in the actual world, why is it relevant?
    
    If I ask “What will happen if I don’t attempt to increase my rationality” I’m reasoning about counterfactuals.
    
    Is that not about cause and effect in the real world?
    
    Counterfactuals ARE about the actual world. They’re a way of analysing the chains of cause and effect.
    
    If you can’t reason about cause and effect (and with your inability to understand why precomitting can’t bring the FSM into existence, I get the impression you’re having trouble there) you need tools. Counterfactuals are a tool for reasoning about cause and effect.