Quantum Loto

From: Gilles HENRI <Gilles.Henri.domain.name.hidden>
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1999 10:10:51 +0100

>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

I propose a new game based on the same idea as quantum suicide, but much
more awarding. It can make you for sure the richest guy in the world. The
only condition is to find enough players who are convinced by MWI. Each one
gives say 10000 euros (let's be modern). In fact he can give his whole
fortune. The total amount of money is gathered in one single pot. Each
player is assigned a different binary number, and the game can start. Each
bit is tested at turn by measuring the spin of an unpolarized electron on a
z-axis. The +1/2 value corresponds to 1, the -1/2 to 0. All players whose
bit does not correspond to the measured value are killed. Of course
following the MWI, each player ends up in the world where his own number
has been drawn, and he (or she) takes the jackpot for himself. It is
perfectly fair since all the other players keep on living in another world.
If you can convince maybe 1 million persons (?), this makes a lot of
money...

Some drawbacks:

1)You are also sure that the (N-1) other players will have been killed in
your world. So it's better not to play with friends.

2)You must accept the idea that all your relatives and friends will loose
you in all the worlds where you lost the game (although of course they
continue to live with you in your world). This could be a good reason not
to play by compassion with the other worlds...

3)But it is not worse that the simple suicide! So the game could be played
with all guys ready to commit suicide (with the hope that in the world
where there are winning, they are happy enough to keep on living ! Although
as we say in French "l'argent ne fait pas le bonheur...").
 A (less moral ? but much more effective ) way to win is to organize the
game without taking part in it, but sharing the money with the winner. You
may have to convince a tribunal that the (N-1) killed persons are living
and happy in some world..

Ready to play?


Gilles
Received on Tue Jan 12 1999 - 01:12:50 PST