[extropy-chat] Superrationality

[Damien Sullivan]

On Thu, May 18, 2006 at 03:15:22PM -0700, Lee Corbin wrote:

> > Then might we say that superrationality is prescriptive, rather than
> > decisive?
> 
> Well, were it in our power to redefine what Hofstadter meant, then
> yes, it might be an improvement to call it advice---or, what is the
> same thing in game theory, a strategy.

What he said, which I can because I just checked, was that you should
realize you're a typical member of the society, hence will make the same
decision as the other, hence should cooperate.  One flaw is that
thinking this way is in fact not typical of members of our society, at
least put in this abstract way.  In more usual situations, as my
tipping question was meant to suggest, many of us may have superrational
habits.

What he also said, in his postscript to the final column, was that
societies might be divided into Type and Type II.  Type II we're
familiar with.  Type I members believe in the rationality of one-shot
cooperation *with other members of Type I societies*.

Or in other words, the superrational should cooperate with the
superrational, and defect with the merely rational.  Of course, knowing
(or even having a high probability) that the other is supperrational is
probably a side-channel bit which isn't part of the general PD.  It is
part of the original PD, though, where you and the other prisoner really
are accomplices.

-xx- Damien X-)