frenchie
Well-known member
Years ago in a small village, a poor farmer owed a large sum of money to the local moneylender. The moneylender was old and ugly, but fancied the farmer’s beautiful daughter. For her hand in marriage, the moneylender said he would forgo the farmer’s debt.
Both father and daughter were appalled by the request, but the moneylender suggested that they let providence decide the matter. He told them he would put a black pebble and a white pebble into an empty moneybag and the girl was to choose one. If she picked the black pebble, she would become his wife and the father’s debt would be forgiven. If she picked the white pebble, she need not marry him and her father’s debt would still be forgiven. Finally, if she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be thrown into jail.
They were standing on a pebble-strewn path. As they talked, the moneylender bent over to pick up two pebbles. The sharp-eyed girl noticed he had picked up two black pebbles and put them into the bag. He then asked the girl to pick a pebble. What was the girl to do?
Careful analysis would produce three possibilities: 1) the girl should refuse to take a pebble, 2) the girl should show that there were two black pebbles in the bag and expose the moneylender as a cheat. 3) the girl should pick a black pebble and sacrifice herself to save her father from his debt and imprisonment.
This story is used with the hope that it will make us appreciate the difference between lateral and logical thinking. The girl’s dilemma cannot be solved with traditional logical thinking. Think of the consequences if she chooses the above logical answers.
This is what the girl did… she drew a pebble from the moneybag and without looking at it; she fumbled and let it fall onto the pebble strewn path where it became lost among the other pebbles. “Oh, how clumsy of me,” she said. “But never mind, if you look into the bag for the one left, you can tell which pebble I picked.”
Since the remaining pebble was black, it must be assumed that she had picked the white one. The moneylender dared not admit his dishonesty, so the girl changed an impossible situation into an advantageous one. The moral of the story is that most complex problems do have a solution if we look beyond logical thinking.
Both father and daughter were appalled by the request, but the moneylender suggested that they let providence decide the matter. He told them he would put a black pebble and a white pebble into an empty moneybag and the girl was to choose one. If she picked the black pebble, she would become his wife and the father’s debt would be forgiven. If she picked the white pebble, she need not marry him and her father’s debt would still be forgiven. Finally, if she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be thrown into jail.
They were standing on a pebble-strewn path. As they talked, the moneylender bent over to pick up two pebbles. The sharp-eyed girl noticed he had picked up two black pebbles and put them into the bag. He then asked the girl to pick a pebble. What was the girl to do?
Careful analysis would produce three possibilities: 1) the girl should refuse to take a pebble, 2) the girl should show that there were two black pebbles in the bag and expose the moneylender as a cheat. 3) the girl should pick a black pebble and sacrifice herself to save her father from his debt and imprisonment.
This story is used with the hope that it will make us appreciate the difference between lateral and logical thinking. The girl’s dilemma cannot be solved with traditional logical thinking. Think of the consequences if she chooses the above logical answers.
This is what the girl did… she drew a pebble from the moneybag and without looking at it; she fumbled and let it fall onto the pebble strewn path where it became lost among the other pebbles. “Oh, how clumsy of me,” she said. “But never mind, if you look into the bag for the one left, you can tell which pebble I picked.”
Since the remaining pebble was black, it must be assumed that she had picked the white one. The moneylender dared not admit his dishonesty, so the girl changed an impossible situation into an advantageous one. The moral of the story is that most complex problems do have a solution if we look beyond logical thinking.
