If the machine predicts that you will take both Boxes A and B, Box B will be empty. But if the machine predicts that you will take Box B only, then Box B will contain $1,000,000,000. The machine has already done it’s prediction and the contents of box B has already been set. Which box/boxes do you take?

To reiterate, you choices are:

-Box A and B

-Box B only

(“Box A only” is not an option because no one is that stupid lol)

Please explain your reasoning.

My answer is:

spoiler

I mean I’d choose Box B only, I’d just gamble on the machine being right. If the machine is wrong, I’ll break that thing.


This is based on Newcomb’s Paradox (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newcomb’s_paradox), but I increased the money to make it more interesting.

    • Is This Lemmy Open?@lemmy.dbzer0.comOP
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      It depends. If you mean flip a coin, then you should know that no coin flip or dice roll is truely random, it is random to us only because we couldn’t predict it with our current technology. This scenario assumes that there are machines in the world that can predict the future, we just don’t know whether this particular machine is accurate or not.

      Now if you are talking about quantum-based randomness, I mean… I think the machine could just put $0 in the second box just to fuck with you.