Some versions of Newcomb's problem are prisoners' dilemmas

Jordan H. Sobel

pp. 197-208

in: Synthese 86 (2), 1991.

Abstract

I have maintained that some but not all prisoners' dilemmas are side-by-side Necomb problems. The present paper argues that, similarly, some but not all versions of Newcomb's Problem are prisoners' dilemmas in which Taking Two and Predicting Two make an equilibrium that is dispreferred by both the box-chooser and predictor to the outcome in which only one box is taken and this is predicted. I comment on what kinds of prisoner's dilemmas Newcomb's Problem can be, and on opportunities that results reached may open for kinds of ‘cooperative reasoning’ in versions of Newcomb's Problem.