Buridan's Donkey
Buridan's donkey illustrates how randomness can break decision stalemates when two equally attractive options lead to inaction. By introducing a random nudge, an impasse is resolved, allowing a choice to be made.
THE IDEA
Buridan’s Donkey or the Good Side of Randomness
Nonlinearity in random outcomes is sometimes used as a tool to break stalemates. Consider the problem of the nonlinear nudge. Imagine a donkey equally hungry and thirsty placed at exactly equal distance from sources of food and water. In such a framework, he would die of both thirst and hunger as he would be unable to decide which one to get to first. Now inject some randomness in the picture, by randomly nudging the donkey, causing him to get closer to one source, no matter which, and accordingly away from the other. The impasse would be instantly broken and our happy donkey will be either in turn well fed then well hydrated, or well hydrated then well fed.
The reader no doubt has played a version of Buridan’s donkey, by “flipping a coin” to break some of the minor stalemates in life where one lets randomness help with the decision process. Let Lady Fortuna make the decision and gladly submit. I often use Buridan’s donkey (under its mathematical name) when my computer goes into a freeze between two possibilities (to be technical, these “randomizations” are frequently done during optimization problems, when one needs to perturbate a function).
Note that Buridan’s donkey was named after the fourteenth-century philosopher Jean Buridan. The source repeats a story that Buridan was thrown into the Seine in a bag; this is not established here as an account of his death. This tale was considered an example of sophistry by his contemporaries who missed the import of randomization—Buridan was clearly ahead of his time.
When to use it
Choosing between two equally good job offers that have no clear differentiating factors.
Deciding which route to take when traffic conditions are unknown and both routes seem equivalent.
Breaking a tie in a group vote that has ended up with an exact split.
Using randomization in computer algorithms (e.g., simulated annealing) to escape local optima in optimization problems.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Donkey Equidistant from Food and Water
A donkey positioned exactly halfway between a source of food and a source of water, with equal hunger and thirst, cannot decide which to approach first and would die from both deprivations. A random nudge toward one source resolves the impasse, allowing the donkey to satisfy both needs sequentially.
Flipping a Coin to Break a Stalemate
When faced with two equally appealing options (e.g., choosing a restaurant, picking a movie), flipping a coin introduces randomness that breaks the tie and prevents paralysis, letting the decision be made quickly.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
Recall a recent decision where you were equally torn between two options. Could randomness have helped? Why or why not?
What are the potential downsides of using randomness to resolve important life decisions?
How does Buridan's donkey relate to the concept of 'analysis paralysis' in modern decision-making?
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Fooled by Randomness The Hidden Role of Chance in the Markets and in Life (Nassim Nicholas Taleb)