Skip to main content
Log in

Newcomb's many solutions

  • Published:
Theory and Decision Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

After a brief presentation and discussion of two versions of Newcomb's problem, I examine the analyses proposed by Levi (1975). Horgan (1981), and Kyburg (1980). I argue that the first two are not genuine solutions to the problem, but that the third, if appropriately elaborated and modified, is correct.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Eells, E.: 1980,Newcomb's Paradox and the Principle of Maximizing Conditional Expected Utility, Ph.D. dissertation, University of California, Berkeley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eells, E.: 1981, ‘Causality, utility, and decision’,Synthese 48, 295–329.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eells, E.: 1982,Rational Decision and Causality, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England and New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eells, E. and Sober, E.: 1983, ‘Probabilistic causality and the question of transitivity’,Philosophy of Science 50, 35–57.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fishburn, P. C.: 1981, ‘Subjective expected utility: a review of normative theories’,Theory and Decision 13, 139–199.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gibbard, A. and Harper, W.: 1978, ‘Counterfactuals and two kinds of expected utility’,Foundations and Applications of Decision Theory, (Edited by C. A. Hooker, J. J. Leach, and E. F. McClennen), Vol. 1, pp. 125–162. D. Reidel Publishing Co., Dordrecht, Holland. Reprinted inIfs, 1981, (Edited by W. L. Harper, R. Stalnaker, and G. Pearce), pp. 153–190. D. Reidel Publishing Co., Dordrecht, Holland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Horgan, T.: 1981, ‘Counterfactuals and Newcomb's problem’,The Journal of Philosophy 78, 331–356.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jeffrey, R. C.: 1965,The Logic of Decision. McGraw-Hill, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jeffry, R. C.: 1981, ‘The logic of decision defended’,Synthese 48, 473–492.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kyburg, H. E., Jr.: 1974,The Logical Foundations of Statistical Inference, D. Reidel Publishing Co., Dordrecht, Holland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kyburg, H. E., Jr. 1980, ‘Acts and conditional probabilities’,Theory and Decision 12, 149–171.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levi, I.: 1975, ‘Newcomb's many problems’,Theory and Decision 6, 161–175.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levi, I.: 1982, ‘A note on Newcombmania’,The Journal of Philosophy 79, 337–342.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, D.: 1973a,Counterfactuals. Havard University Press, Cambridge, Mass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, D.: 1973b, ‘Causation’,Journal of Philosophy 70, 556–567.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, D.: 1979, ‘Counterfactual dependence and time's arrow’,Nous 13, 455–476.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, D.: 1981, ‘Causal decision theory’,Australasian Journal of Philosophy 59, 5–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mates, B.: 1972,Elementary Logic, 2nd edn., Oxford University Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nozick, R.: 1969, ‘Newcomb's problem and two principles of choice’,Essays in Honor of Carl G. Hempel, (Edited by N. Rescher,et al), pp. 114–146. D. Reidel Publishing Co., Dordrecht, Holland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schlesinger, G.: 1974, ‘The unpredictability of free choices’,The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 25, 209–221.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skyrms, B.: 1980,Causal Necessity: A pragmatic Investigation of the Necessity of Laws. Yales University Press, New Haven.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stalnaker, R.: 1968, ‘A theory of conditionals’,Studies of Logical Theory (Edited by N. Rescher). Blackwell, Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stern, C.: 1981, ‘Lewis's counterfactual analysis of causation’,Synthese 48, 333–345.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

This paper was written under a grant from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Graduate School, which I gratefully acknowledge.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Eells, E. Newcomb's many solutions. Theor Decis 16, 59–105 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00141675

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00141675

Keywords

Navigation