Category Archives: thought-experiment

The Monty Hall Effect Thruster

Suppose you’re on a rocket ship, and you’re given the choice of three buttons: one button starts up your advanced MHE thrusters, but the other buttons explode the ship. You choose some button (say, number 1), and the rocket ship itself (which is a sentient AI), who knows what the buttons are connected to, chooses another button (say, number 3). It then says to you, “Do you want to choose button number 2?”

Is it to your advantage to switch your choice? Also, who designed this control panel?