Comments on: There is no difference between "the Byzantine generals problem" and "the prisoner dilemma" http://trilema.com/2016/there-is-no-difference-between-the-byzantine-generals-problem-and-the-prisoner-dilemma/ Moving targets for a fast crowd. Wed, 13 May 2026 22:25:56 +0000 http://polimedia.us hourly 1 By: Superficial UsTardian Onanism (SUTO) on Trilema - A blog by Mircea Popescu. http://trilema.com/2016/there-is-no-difference-between-the-byzantine-generals-problem-and-the-prisoner-dilemma/#comment-142570 Superficial UsTardian Onanism (SUTO) on Trilema - A blog by Mircea Popescu. Wed, 08 Jan 2020 09:24:36 +0000 http://trilema.com/?p=68659#comment-142570 [...] himself at liberty to put his likes or dislikes at the basis of predictions for the future. This is shamanism pure and simple, for which reason Ivo is illustrative of the biological basis of SUTO. In a rich [...] [...] himself at liberty to put his likes or dislikes at the basis of predictions for the future. This is shamanism pure and simple, for which reason Ivo is illustrative of the biological basis of SUTO. In a rich [...]

]]> By: A Nom http://trilema.com/2016/there-is-no-difference-between-the-byzantine-generals-problem-and-the-prisoner-dilemma/#comment-118843 A Nom Mon, 05 Sep 2016 03:26:31 +0000 http://trilema.com/?p=68659#comment-118843 Thank you. Always something to learn here. Thank you. Always something to learn here.

]]> By: Mircea Popescu http://trilema.com/2016/there-is-no-difference-between-the-byzantine-generals-problem-and-the-prisoner-dilemma/#comment-118842 Mircea Popescu Mon, 05 Sep 2016 00:30:44 +0000 http://trilema.com/?p=68659#comment-118842 Alright. You are not at liberty to answer problem A <blockquote>At the perpetuum mobile factory, worker Ham produces one perpetuum mobile every ten minutes. Worker Bam is half as fast as worker Ham. How many perpetua mobilia does Bam produce per hour ? </blockquote> with "three" for the exact same reason you're not at liberty to answer problem B <blockquote>Given that a yellow apple has a calorie value of 44, what is the calorie value of a red apple ?</blockquote> by observing that yellow corresponds to a wavelength of about 550 nm whereas red corresponds to a wavelength of about 650 nm and on that basis come up with the red apple having a calorie value of 650/550 * 44 = 52 (or viceversa, for that matter). That reason is that in neither case do we have any grounds to suspect any relation between one set and the other : the wavelength of the respective skin colors is not known to be connected to the caloric value of the item underneath the skin ; the speed of factory workers is not known to be connected to the time it takes to produce a perpetuum mobile (which is very much not the same as saying that the two are known to not be connected!). It is true that inept schoolteachers train unfortunate schoolchildren to make this error. This is because inept schoolteachers are in the business of creating citizens for the state ; not lords for the republic. Nevertheless, no matter how deeply drilled in, nonsense is still nonsense and that's all there is to it. Alright.

You are not at liberty to answer problem A

At the perpetuum mobile factory, worker Ham produces one perpetuum mobile every ten minutes. Worker Bam is half as fast as worker Ham. How many perpetua mobilia does Bam produce per hour ?

with "three" for the exact same reason you're not at liberty to answer problem B

Given that a yellow apple has a calorie value of 44, what is the calorie value of a red apple ?

by observing that yellow corresponds to a wavelength of about 550 nm whereas red corresponds to a wavelength of about 650 nm and on that basis come up with the red apple having a calorie value of 650/550 * 44 = 52 (or viceversa, for that matter).

That reason is that in neither case do we have any grounds to suspect any relation between one set and the other : the wavelength of the respective skin colors is not known to be connected to the caloric value of the item underneath the skin ; the speed of factory workers is not known to be connected to the time it takes to produce a perpetuum mobile (which is very much not the same as saying that the two are known to not be connected!).

It is true that inept schoolteachers train unfortunate schoolchildren to make this error. This is because inept schoolteachers are in the business of creating citizens for the state ; not lords for the republic. Nevertheless, no matter how deeply drilled in, nonsense is still nonsense and that's all there is to it.

]]> By: A Nom http://trilema.com/2016/there-is-no-difference-between-the-byzantine-generals-problem-and-the-prisoner-dilemma/#comment-118840 A Nom Mon, 05 Sep 2016 00:19:58 +0000 http://trilema.com/?p=68659#comment-118840 > Meanwhike "no Joe I know even likes apples" is very different from > "the object you posit is self-contradictory and therefore any question > you ask about it is meaningless". Will you please detail this? > Meanwhike "no Joe I know even likes apples" is very different from
> "the object you posit is self-contradictory and therefore any question
> you ask about it is meaningless".

Will you please detail this?

]]> By: Mircea Popescu http://trilema.com/2016/there-is-no-difference-between-the-byzantine-generals-problem-and-the-prisoner-dilemma/#comment-118839 Mircea Popescu Sun, 04 Sep 2016 23:10:54 +0000 http://trilema.com/?p=68659#comment-118839 Ahaha. "You're gonna tell us something this time, smart guy!" Ahaha.

"You're gonna tell us something this time, smart guy!"

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