Escaping the cycle

Journal article


Gallow, Jeffrey Dmitri. (2022). Escaping the cycle. Mind. 131(521), pp. 99-127. https://doi.org/10.1093/mind/fzab047
AuthorsGallow, Jeffrey Dmitri
Abstract

I present a decision in which causal decision theory appears to violate the independence of irrelevant alternatives (IIA) and normal-form extensive-form equivalence (NEE). I show that these violations lead to exploitable behaviour and long-run poverty. These consequences appear damning, but I urge caution. This decision should lead causalists to a better understanding of what it takes for a decision between some collection of options to count as a subdecision of a decision between a larger collection of options. And with this better understanding of subdecisions in hand, causalists will not violate IIA or NEE. This decision will also teach causalists that, in sequential decisions, a rational agent may be led to make a series of choices which are causally dominated by some other sequence of choices they could have made instead. I will encourage causalists to recognize this as an intrapersonal tragedy of the commons.

Year2022
JournalMind
Journal citation131 (521), pp. 99-127
PublisherOxford University Press
ISSN0026-4423
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1093/mind/fzab047
Scopus EID2-s2.0-85134183283
Page range99-127
Publisher's version
License
All rights reserved
File Access Level
Controlled
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online18 Oct 2021
Publication process dates
Deposited06 Mar 2023
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