Evangelical Ethics and Buridan's Ass (2)

ME > Are you familiar with the medieval philosophical problem known as Buridan's ass.


GEMINI > 

Yes, I am familiar with the medieval philosophical problem known as Buridan's ass. It's a classic thought experiment that explores the concepts of free will, determinism, and rational decision-making.

In essence, Buridan's ass is a hypothetical donkey placed exactly midway between two identical piles of hay. The donkey is equally hungry and thirsty, and both piles of hay are equally appealing. The problem poses the question: Will the donkey be able to make a choice and eat, or will it remain paralyzed by indecision and starve to death?

The paradox highlights the potential difficulties faced by a perfectly rational being when presented with two equally desirable options. It suggests that if all choices are truly equal, a rational being might be unable to break the tie and act, leading to inaction and potentially negative consequences.

ME> So the donkey could be (1) paralyzed into inaction, (2) die of hunger

ME> Can we say that, all things till being equal, if the ass were ultimately to choose one haystack over the other, the only explanation would be on account of chance or randomness. This is assuming that there is something such as chance or randomness.

ME> Note that I have not distinguished between chance and randomness. They are close enough in having a semantic overlap, that I felt that I did not need to.

GEMINI> Yes, absolutely. If we strictly adhere to the conditions of Buridan's ass – a perfectly rational being with no internal inclinations or preferences, faced with two objectively identical choices – and the ass does eventually make a choice, the only logical explanation for this decision would be chance or randomness.





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