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War, Spying and Party Game Delusions

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War, Spying and Party Game Delusions
Topic: Politics and Law 7:45 am EDT, Aug  7, 2008

Thinking about the genesis and consequences of the Iraq War and the recently passed FISA law that authorizes wholesale wiretapping, I recalled a relevant party game described by philosopher Daniel C. Dennett in his book "Consciousness Explained." It's a variant of the familiar childhood game requiring that one try to determine by means of Yes or No questions a secretly chosen number between one and one million.

In Dennett's more interesting and suggestive game, one person, the subject, is selected from a group of people at a party and asked to leave the room. He is told that in his absence one of the other partygoers will relate a recent dream to the other party attendees. The person selected then returns to the party and, through a sequence of Yes or No questions about the dream, attempts to accomplish two things: reconstruct the dream and identify whose dream it was.

The punch line is that no one has related any dream.

War, Spying and Party Game Delusions



 
 
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