But what about when people learn about the setup of this particular problem? Does the correlation between having the one-boxing gene and inclining toward one-boxing still hold?
Yes, it should also hold in this case. Knowing about the study could be part of the problem and the subjects of the initial study could be lied to about a study. The idea of the “genetic Newcomb problem” is that the two-boxing gene is less intuitive than CGTA and that its workings are mysterious. It could make you be sure that you have or don’t have the gene. It could make be comfortable with decision theories whose names start with ‘C’, interpret genetical Newcomb problem studies in a certain way etc. The only thing that we know is that is causes us to two-box, in the end. For CGTA, on the other hand, we have a very strong intuition that it causes a “tickle” or so that could be easily overridden by us knowing about the first study (which correlates chewing gum with throat abscesses). It could not possibly influence what we think about CDT vs. EDT etc.! But this intuition is not part of the original description of the problem.
If there were a perfect correlation between choosing to one-box and having the one-box gene (i.e., everyone who one-boxes has the one-box gene, and everyone who two-boxes has the two-box gene, in all possible circumstances), then it’s obvious that you should one-box, since that implies you must win more. This would be similar to the original Newcomb problem, where Omega also perfectly predicts your choice. Unfortunately, if you really will follow the dictates of your genes under all possible circumstances, then telling someone what she should do is useless, since she will do what her genes dictate.
The more interesting and difficult case is when the correlation between gene and choice isn’t perfect.
Yes, it should also hold in this case. Knowing about the study could be part of the problem and the subjects of the initial study could be lied to about a study. The idea of the “genetic Newcomb problem” is that the two-boxing gene is less intuitive than CGTA and that its workings are mysterious. It could make you be sure that you have or don’t have the gene. It could make be comfortable with decision theories whose names start with ‘C’, interpret genetical Newcomb problem studies in a certain way etc. The only thing that we know is that is causes us to two-box, in the end. For CGTA, on the other hand, we have a very strong intuition that it causes a “tickle” or so that could be easily overridden by us knowing about the first study (which correlates chewing gum with throat abscesses). It could not possibly influence what we think about CDT vs. EDT etc.! But this intuition is not part of the original description of the problem.
If there were a perfect correlation between choosing to one-box and having the one-box gene (i.e., everyone who one-boxes has the one-box gene, and everyone who two-boxes has the two-box gene, in all possible circumstances), then it’s obvious that you should one-box, since that implies you must win more. This would be similar to the original Newcomb problem, where Omega also perfectly predicts your choice. Unfortunately, if you really will follow the dictates of your genes under all possible circumstances, then telling someone what she should do is useless, since she will do what her genes dictate.
The more interesting and difficult case is when the correlation between gene and choice isn’t perfect.
(moved comment)