Melinda Elder <LAWZ@Jetson.UH.EDU> asks:
>One of our professor has asked us to find the origin of the paradox
>described below. We have exhausted all resources, both logical and
>creative. Any help at all will be greatly appreciated.
>_The Donkey's Choice_ ...
This appears to be a version of "Buridan's Ass", named for
the medieval philosopher Buridan. Tracking down the original,
however, is not so easy. The Encyclopedia Britannica (11th),
in the entry for "Buridan", says:
... The comparison of the will unable to act between two
equally balanced motives to an ass dying of hunger between
two equal and equidistant bundles of hay is not found in
his [Buridan's] works, and may have been invented by his
opponents to ridicule his determinism. ...
Hope this helps.
------------------------------------
John N. Davis <yyjdavis@sol.uvic.ca>
Priestly Law Library, University of Victoria
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