It seems that there are two ways to increase the measure of copies
and near-copies of yourself which have favorable experiences.
One is to try to make good decisions. Some people say that in a
many-worlds model decisions are irrelevant, since everything will happen.
However this ignores the fact that different branches have different
measures. Even though we know that all things will happen, by making
good decisions we increase the fraction which have good outcomes, thereby
increasing the measure of those instances of ourselves which are having
favorable experiences.
The other method is by killing yourself when things go wrong.
This approach is more controversial, but many people seem to have an
instinctive understanding of its value. People often do kill themselves
when things get sufficiently bad. By doing so they are increasing the
fraction of their near-copies which have good experiences. They are not
thinking in those terms, but that is the effect of their actions.
Hal
Received on Mon Jan 11 1999 - 11:52:18 PST
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