Quote from: JoelKatz on May 26, 2014, 02:51:58 AM

One more paradox: Aliens come to Earth with a brain scanner. The brain scanner appears to be able to predict human behavior with astonishing accuracy. To demonstrate its power and their generosity, the aliens present each human with two sealed boxes and a choice. The first box contains either a single dose of a potion that will prevent all disease or is empty. The second box always contains $20. Your choice is simple. You may choose either just the first box or both boxes.

You are standing in line and reason that when it's your turn to choose, the contents of both boxes are unchangeable. They are what they are. So you are better off choosing both boxes rather than just one. But then as you observe the people ahead of you in line, you notice that those who chose both boxes get just $20 while those that choose just the first box get the potion. You realize that the aliens must be using the brain scanning machine to determine whether each person will pick both boxes or just the first box and if they determine that they will pick both boxes, they make the first box empty.

What do you do?

Soooooo.. the aliens knew (predicted) that i am going to see the pattern so whatever i choose is predicted before. But that would also prove that our lifes are prewritten (destiny).

Now there are few options:

I choose one box and get the potion.. so you could still assume that aliens predicted that (or take two boxes and get 20$ with same result)

BUT

What if i choose to take two boxes and happen to get both potion and 20$? Did i screw their system or were they ahead of me. They knew that i'm going to see the pattern so they could deside to do something differently with me.

So whatever i choose and whatever i get, it doesn't actually prove anything (about do we have options to choose our destiny or is our destiny prewritten)..