A question, probably silly: Suppose you calculate what a person would do given every possible configuration of sensory inputs, and then construct a utility function that returns one if that thing is done and zero otherwise. Can’t we then say that any deterministic action-taking thing acts according to some utility function?
No, although this idea pops up often enough that I have given it a name: the Texas Sharpshooter Utility Function.
There are two things glaringly wrong with it. Firstly, it is not a utility function in the sense of VNM (proof left as an exercise). Secondly, it does not describe how anything works—it is purely post hoc (hence the name).
No, although this idea pops up often enough that I have given it a name: the Texas Sharpshooter Utility Function.
There are two things glaringly wrong with it. Firstly, it is not a utility function in the sense of VNM (proof left as an exercise). Secondly, it does not describe how anything works—it is purely post hoc (hence the name).