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From: desj@brahms.BERKELEY.EDU (David desJardins)
Newsgroups: net.games,net.philosophy,net.religion
Subject: Re: Is it logical to make random decisions?
Message-ID: <12769@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: Sat, 29-Mar-86 06:20:58 EST
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.12769
Posted: Sat Mar 29 06:20:58 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 30-Mar-86 10:40:29 EST
References: <1661@mtgzz.UUCP> <24900128@uiucdcs> <4571MIQ@PSUVMA> <2293@jhunix.UUCP> <768@hounx.UUCP>
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Xref: watmath net.games:2659 net.philosophy:4763 net.religion:9800

In article <768@hounx.UUCP> kort@hounx.UUCP (B.KORT) writes:
>...  In general, if someone is evidently following a nondeterministic
>(hence unpredictible) strategy, is it decidable whether the person is
>using a logical random strategy or merely behaving erratically?  It
>seems to me that it would be very difficult to decide the issue unless
>one had many repetitions of the play upon which to cumulate statistics.

   A related point is:  If God manipulates the universe by affecting
random events (QM wavefunction collapse), it is impossible to prove
that intervention is taking place.  In fact, it is not clear if there
is any distinction at all between intervention by an incomprehensible
God and "true" randomness.

   -- David desJardins