Newcomb's Problem
The boxes are already filled. Does choosing one still change what is in them?
c. 1960 (posed), 1969 (published)10 min read
American analytic philosophy
Robert Nozick
1938 – 2002
Harvard philosopher best known for Anarchy, State, and Utopia (1974), a libertarian counterpoint to Rawls. In 1969 he published the paper that introduced Newcomb's Problem to academic philosophy, framing the tension between two apparently compelling decision principles and declining to adjudicate between them. He subsequently championed evidential decision theory, though he acknowledged the opposing argument's force throughout his career.