• rbn@sopuli.xyz
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      6 months ago

      Why not? If I wish that someone ignores something, that’s a valid wish IMO.

        • rbn@sopuli.xyz
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          6 months ago

          I dunno. If he told the djinn ‘Give me a nice car’ or ‘Make Trump eat a pile of dog poop’ in response to the offering of 3 wishes, that qualifies as a wish to me even though it doesn’t contain the word.

          • bitwolf@lemmy.one
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            6 months ago

            But then the genie would simply fulfill your next three statements, rather than your next three wishes.

  • De_Narm@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Doesn’t work, since they are fulfilled sequentially.

    Do the opposite of my next wish. -> Fulfilled, he is set to do the opposite next.

    Don’t fulfill my 3rd wish. -> Fulfilled, the wish does effectively nothing and he’s got one left that will be fulfilled. All instructions from the first wish are done with and discarded.

    Ignore my first wish. -> Fulfilled, there is nothing left to be ignored about his first wish anymore since it’s already done. The wish does nothing and he successfully wasted all 3 by trying to be a smart ass.

    • wia@lemmy.ca
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      6 months ago

      Weird too, cus you could destroy the universe with 2 or even just 1 wish maybe?.

      2 wishes: Repeat wish 2, repeat wish 1. Universe ends in magical overload.

      1 wish: Don’t fulfill this wish. I feel like that’s less magical end of the universe and just death of the genie I guess?

    • samus12345@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Yup, the genie just did that last bit to make him feel like he actually outsmarted him or something. In reality he’s just glad he doesn’t have to be around him any more.

    • grrgyle@slrpnk.net
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      6 months ago

      Also if the genie is a thinking agent or even just capable of detecting an infinite loop this falls apart.

  • Lightor@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Then on the third wish he just says “nah, that won’t work” and you’ve just burned 2 and confused yourself.

  • key@lemmy.keychat.org
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    6 months ago

    Wish 1 cancels out wish 2, leaving us with the default state of granting the third wish. The genie grants the third wish by biting his tongue and ignoring how stupid the first wish was.

  • palordrolap@kbin.run
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    6 months ago

    There’s often a rule about not wishing about wishing, either directly or indirectly. This rule’s not in the story of Aladdin (at least, not Disney’s version) because that would prevent what happens with Jafar at the end.

    It’s also not a rule in Douglas Hofstadter’s book Gödel, Escher, Bach…, where Achilles and the Tortoise - characters Hofstadter frequently borrows as protagonists; his Tortoise is sapient and can talk - contrive to wish that a wish not be granted, or something like that.

    And if that last paragraph (with its nested asides) gave you a headache, you’ll love the book.

    • Ultraviolet@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      The Genie does say “and ixnay on the wishing for more wishes” after listing the three main rules.

    • Godnroc@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Granted, you are now a genie with access to the wish granting API private key. Make all the copies you like.

  • Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
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    6 months ago

    I liked the one from that classic twilight zone episode better wherte the (i believe mathematician) told the genie to “get lost”

    • then_three_more@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago
      1. I wish to know the true name of the genie who is granting me wishes.

      2. I wish [genie’s true name] to be freed, mortal and without magical powers, now and henceforth.

    • Lumisal@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      I think I saw a video once explaining how the only winning move is to make your wish be to let the genie grant you what you desire most.

      Because only the genie as the wish granter has access to all possibilities a wish good grant, but you don’t, so your wish could always be misinterpreted, while the genies knowledge cannot be.