Two boxes, one choice, and $1,000,000. Sponsored by Brilliant - To learn for free on Brilliant for a full 30 days, go to https://brilliant.org/veritasium. Our viewers also get 20% off an annual Premi...
I guess refusing to engage with the hypothetical is a choice.
Personally I think hypotheticals are most interesting and revealing specifically when they are about impossible situations.
Like the question: if you could have any superpower, what would it be?
I would choose the ability to see the future with 99% accuracy just to mess with people by running this box experiment.
Meaning, ask me for my superpower and what I’d do with it, sure!
But this channel makes really good science-focused content. So to present this video, which essentially requires an all knowing god-like entity, then try and break down the game theory and probabilities, just seems odd and out of their lane a bit.
The money is the the less interesting bit, the belief in God and outcome is the more interesting one.
If you believe the god bit and play the game:
Take box A&B, get $1.001M: you fooled god, there is free will. Or you are the lucky 1% god can’t predict.
Take box A&B, get $1000: you did not fool god, there is no free will.
Take box B, get $1M: you did not fool god, there is no free will.
Take box B, get $0: you fooled god, there is free will. Or you are the lucky 1% god can’t predict.
If you don’t believe the god bit, then this is just some sort of con man swindle and you are only getting a max $1000 anyway.
So I sorta view this whole thing as religious philosophy, which is why it feels weird on a science channel.
I guess refusing to engage with the hypothetical is a choice. Personally I think hypotheticals are most interesting and revealing specifically when they are about impossible situations.
Like the question: if you could have any superpower, what would it be?
I would choose the ability to see the future with 99% accuracy just to mess with people by running this box experiment.
I agree with you, but in context.
Meaning, ask me for my superpower and what I’d do with it, sure!
But this channel makes really good science-focused content. So to present this video, which essentially requires an all knowing god-like entity, then try and break down the game theory and probabilities, just seems odd and out of their lane a bit.
The money is the the less interesting bit, the belief in God and outcome is the more interesting one.
If you believe the god bit and play the game:
Take box A&B, get $1.001M: you fooled god, there is free will. Or you are the lucky 1% god can’t predict.
Take box A&B, get $1000: you did not fool god, there is no free will.
Take box B, get $1M: you did not fool god, there is no free will.
Take box B, get $0: you fooled god, there is free will. Or you are the lucky 1% god can’t predict.
If you don’t believe the god bit, then this is just some sort of con man swindle and you are only getting a max $1000 anyway.
So I sorta view this whole thing as religious philosophy, which is why it feels weird on a science channel.