dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaBackward Causation, Isolation and the Pursuit of Justice
| Authors | Milan M. Cirkovic, Suzana Cveticanin |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/0107028 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0107028 |
| Journal | Epistemologia, vol. 25, pp. 145-162 (2002) |
Abstract
The recent operationalization of the famous Newcomb's game by Schmidt (1998) offers an interesting and thought-provoking look at the plausibility of backward causation in a Newtonian universe. Hereby we investigate two details of the Schmidt's scenario which may, at least in principle, invalidate his conclusion in two different domains: one dealing with the issue of Newtonian predictability in specific instance of human actions, and the other stemming from a possible strategy aimed at obviating the anthropically oriented view of backward causation as applied to a judicial and ethical problem posed by a version of the scenario. We conclude that the scenario is at least to be more complex than originally presented in order to remain viable. However, it points to a very deep and delicate question of compatibility of backward causation with the conventional ethical standards.
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"abstract": "The recent operationalization of the famous Newcomb\u0027s game by Schmidt (1998)\noffers an interesting and thought-provoking look at the plausibility of\nbackward causation in a Newtonian universe. Hereby we investigate two details\nof the Schmidt\u0027s scenario which may, at least in principle, invalidate his\nconclusion in two different domains: one dealing with the issue of Newtonian\npredictability in specific instance of human actions, and the other stemming\nfrom a possible strategy aimed at obviating the anthropically oriented view of\nbackward causation as applied to a judicial and ethical problem posed by a\nversion of the scenario. We conclude that the scenario is at least to be more\ncomplex than originally presented in order to remain viable. However, it points\nto a very deep and delicate question of compatibility of backward causation\nwith the conventional ethical standards.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/0107028",
"authors": [
"Milan M. Cirkovic",
"Suzana Cveticanin"
],
"categories": [
"physics.class-ph"
],
"journal_ref": "Epistemologia, vol. 25, pp. 145-162 (2002)",
"title": "Backward Causation, Isolation and the Pursuit of Justice",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0107028"
},
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