Ah, I see then where we miscommunicated. I meant that I, not he, would be applying that reasoning. I strongly anticipate not being dead, and for the purposes of this bet (and only for this bet) don’t care if I’m wrong about it. He would strongly anticipate being dead, and might therefore neglect the possibility that he’ll have to suffer the consequences of whatever we’re doing. My losing the bet is “protected” (in a rather dreary way), his isn’t.
Obviously, I haven’t worked out the details, and probably won’t actually go around taking advantage of these people, but it occurred to me the other day while I was pondering how one should almost always be able to turn better-calibrated expectations into utility.
Obviously, I haven’t worked out the details, and probably won’t actually go around taking advantage of these people
Hey, they’d be happy enough to still be alive, and you could donate the proceeds to eradicating polio. But unfortunately you’d also be encouraging people to take existential threats less seriously in general, which may be a bad idea. I can’t decide.
Anyway, good luck finding a believer in any kind of woo who is prepared to make a cash wager on a testable outcome. Think how quickly we would have eradicated homeopathy and astrology by now! :)
Ah, I see then where we miscommunicated. I meant that I, not he, would be applying that reasoning. I strongly anticipate not being dead, and for the purposes of this bet (and only for this bet) don’t care if I’m wrong about it. He would strongly anticipate being dead, and might therefore neglect the possibility that he’ll have to suffer the consequences of whatever we’re doing. My losing the bet is “protected” (in a rather dreary way), his isn’t.
Obviously, I haven’t worked out the details, and probably won’t actually go around taking advantage of these people, but it occurred to me the other day while I was pondering how one should almost always be able to turn better-calibrated expectations into utility.
Hey, they’d be happy enough to still be alive, and you could donate the proceeds to eradicating polio. But unfortunately you’d also be encouraging people to take existential threats less seriously in general, which may be a bad idea. I can’t decide.
Anyway, good luck finding a believer in any kind of woo who is prepared to make a cash wager on a testable outcome. Think how quickly we would have eradicated homeopathy and astrology by now! :)