I think you are conflating two different types of “should” statements: moral injunctions and decision-theoretical injunctions.
The statement “You should two-box in Newcomb’s problem” is normally interpreted as a decision-theoretical injunction. As such, it can be rephrased epistemically as “If you two-box in Newcomb’s problem then you will maximize your expected utility”.
But you could also interpret the statement “You should two-box in Newcomb’s problem” as the moral injunction “It is morally right for you to two-box in Newcomb’s problem”. Moral injunctions can’t be rephrased epistemically, at least unless you assume a priori that there exist some external moral truths that can’t be further rephrased.
The utilitarianist of your comment is doing that. His actual rephrasing is “If you two-box in Newcomb’s problem then you will maximize the expected universe cumulative utility”. This assumes that:
This universe cumulative utility exists as an external entity
The statement “It is morally right for you to maximize the expected universe cumulative utility” exists as an external moral truth.
I think you are conflating two different types of “should” statements: moral injunctions and decision-theoretical injunctions.
The statement “You should two-box in Newcomb’s problem” is normally interpreted as a decision-theoretical injunction. As such, it can be rephrased epistemically as “If you two-box in Newcomb’s problem then you will maximize your expected utility”.
But you could also interpret the statement “You should two-box in Newcomb’s problem” as the moral injunction “It is morally right for you to two-box in Newcomb’s problem”. Moral injunctions can’t be rephrased epistemically, at least unless you assume a priori that there exist some external moral truths that can’t be further rephrased.
The utilitarianist of your comment is doing that. His actual rephrasing is “If you two-box in Newcomb’s problem then you will maximize the expected universe cumulative utility”. This assumes that:
This universe cumulative utility exists as an external entity
The statement “It is morally right for you to maximize the expected universe cumulative utility” exists as an external moral truth.