ITT we discuss cool "paradoxes"

[Reincarnate]

I'll bring up one:

Newcomb's Paradox:

You've got a demon who, in the past, has been known to be a very accurate predictor. He sets two boxes before you -- one clear and one black. You can see $1000 in the clear box. He says the black box either has nothing in it or $1,000,000. You can take one box, or both.

But he claims to have predicted what you will do, and says if you pick the black box alone, it will have $1,000,000 in it. But if you take both, the black box will have nothing. The clear box obviously has $1,000 guaranteed.

He also claims that by the time he has placed money in the boxes and set the boxes before you, he cannot touch them again. The black box either has money in it or it doesn't by the time you are allowed to make your choice.

What do you do and why?

[DossarLX ODI]

What if I chose neither

[Reincarnate]

then the Demon eats you

[Xayphon]

I'd choose box B because I have nothing to loose at all and it'd be worth a try

[who_cares973]

you would lose on the opportunity to get 1000 dollars

[Hakulyte]

I would look at the demon and say: I'll take the black box, and as he's about to get it for me, I'll add "AND the clear one".

Why?

Because the demon will think that I choosed the black one at first and if his prediction is right, lol 1,000,000$ and since I tell him both he's stuck with a flaw in his game. You're also mentioning that he cannot touch them once he sets them up so... trolololol.

So, unless you add new rules about it, I just got 1,001,000$.

Plan B:

Cast Holy Light, kill demon, loot everything and sell to vendors.

Plan C:

Still take both since I missed the decision element at the end. The reason being that there's both 1,000,000$ in it and nothing and he's a demon anyway so it's not like I could totally trust him.

[Reincarnate]

Hakulyte: The idea is that if you eventually go for both boxes, the demon will know this.

[Hakulyte]

Why would you take a chance with a demon anyway? He could lie and both boxes have nothing in it.
He could have hidden those 2 boxes that are right and gave you fake ones to take your decision on.
It could also be right but the demon decides to eat you for diner right after you get 1,000,000$. Not necessary any better.
I don't remember gambling being in favor of the decision-maker anyway. So, it's both no matter what here.
Even if you tell me at 100% that there's nothing in it, I still go away with both 1000$ and a pretty cool black box.
Actually screw money, I just want those boxes.

...

I guess I'll leave Critical Thinking to real thinkers.

[supermousie]

Well, since we are on the discussion of "cool" paradoxes, how would Portals operate in Inception/the Matrix/the Tardis?

Something tells me Inception+Portals ends up in a very boring result.

[Reincarnate]

forget it lol

[I like it]

Ok, I am going to try to explain what I think. If the demon really is a good predictor, then after what he said, people will think that choosing the black box alone is giving them alot of money. But humans are greedy. Most will think, well if the black box has a million without the clear box, then why wouldn't it have a million with the clear box? So most would choose both boxes, now if you trusted the demon, you would choose the black box only, but who would trust a demon? I would choose the black box, just to test the demon.

[Louis8k8]

Take only the clear one, it makes the least logical sense so maybe the demon will get fooled.

[SKG_Scintill]

I'd get a job