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An Infinite Decision Puzzle

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Abstract

We tell a story where an agent who chooses in such a way as to make the greatest possible profit on each of an infinite series of transactions ends up worse off than an agent who chooses in such a way as to make the least possible profit on each transaction. That is, contrary to what one might suppose, it is not necessarily rational always to choose the option that yields the greatest possible profit on each transaction.

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Barrett, J.A., Arntzenius, F. An Infinite Decision Puzzle. Theory and Decision 46, 101–103 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005094023022

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005094023022

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