In Partial, Pugnacious Defense of Functional Decision Theory

According to a new post on LessWrong, one philosopher has mounted a spirited defense of Functional Decision Theory—the framework for how rational agents should make optimal decisions. The evidence: a novel solution to Newcomb's Problem, a classic decision theory puzzle, involving becoming a leprechaun and vomiting gold coins. The author admits this argument prioritizes humor over rigor, but insists it captures something true about rational choice when facing genuinely counterintuitive scenarios.

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