Suppose there is a mouse, and that mouse is placed inside a maze with two possible exits. Of these two exits, one purportedly leads to a block of cheese; the other, death, though not necessarily that of the mouse. This mouse locates an exit, only to discover that the exit in question harbors no cheese. The rodent is then sent through 999 additional mazes, each of which offers a different layout with the same proposed outcomes. Over the course of running through these mazes, the mouse has come to learn that regardless of which exit is chosen, the result is the same as it has always been: one of two faces, no cheese. Two faces, one death, no cheese. Two faces, one death, no cheese. Two faces, one death, no cheese. No cheese, no cheese, NO CHEESE. The mouse is then placed into one last maze, a tiebreaker of sorts, yet at this point, the mouse no longer cares about the cheese whatsoever. Go figure.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Of Mice and Mazes
Suppose there is a mouse, and that mouse is placed inside a maze with two possible exits. Of these two exits, one purportedly leads to a block of cheese; the other, death, though not necessarily that of the mouse. This mouse locates an exit, only to discover that the exit in question harbors no cheese. The rodent is then sent through 999 additional mazes, each of which offers a different layout with the same proposed outcomes. Over the course of running through these mazes, the mouse has come to learn that regardless of which exit is chosen, the result is the same as it has always been: one of two faces, no cheese. Two faces, one death, no cheese. Two faces, one death, no cheese. Two faces, one death, no cheese. No cheese, no cheese, NO CHEESE. The mouse is then placed into one last maze, a tiebreaker of sorts, yet at this point, the mouse no longer cares about the cheese whatsoever. Go figure.
This is scary. I don't want to imagine Mickey Mouse like this.
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