My answers from when John asked me to try the exercise a couple of days ago:
A message with error-correcting codes
A room heated with a thermostat
Water in a glass
Profound distaste for a specific food. Whatever the small perturbation in taste made to it through cooking, you still find it disgusting (for example one of my brothers hate potatoes)
Most people’s political belief, where small perturbations (contradiction, a favorite politician condemned for fraud, a good policy by the outgroup) aren’t enough to change the political belief.
Two system monopoly on election: moving a small number of votes from one or both to other small parties doesn’t change the duopoly.
And the bonus exercise:
A message with error-correcting codes: if I want to change the message or see that it is change, it’s important to look for the maximal amount of errors that the code can handle, as well as what are the closest message that result from adding just too much error.
A room heated with a thermostat: If the change is lower than the thermostat’s temperature, I must look for some way to cool the room faster than the thermostat can heat it, probably with an exchange with the outside and some sort of heat pump. If the change is higher than the thermostat, then I must look for a source of additional heat that never stops (as the thermostat never makes the room cooler, just wait for it too cool down).
Water in a glass: some factors are the angle of the glass, its structural integrity, the gravitational force on the water, and whether someone around is thirsty
Profound distaste for a specific food: factors seem mainly two, either a change of taste due to age (now I like mushroom but I hated them as a kid), or such a transformation of the food that it loses its problematic properties (like my brother can eat thin fries because they barely taste of potatoes)
Most people’s political belief: factors like a change of community, a complete change in the community, so many scandals that the person changed their mind, or someone capitalizing on the discontent while not changing the image of the political belief.
Two system monopoly on election: factors could be most people agreeing to vote to a third party to break the duopoly, or so few people voting that even small parties have a shot, or siphoning votes for the duopoly into many different parties, splitting everything up.
My answers from when John asked me to try the exercise a couple of days ago:
A message with error-correcting codes
A room heated with a thermostat
Water in a glass
Profound distaste for a specific food. Whatever the small perturbation in taste made to it through cooking, you still find it disgusting (for example one of my brothers hate potatoes)
Most people’s political belief, where small perturbations (contradiction, a favorite politician condemned for fraud, a good policy by the outgroup) aren’t enough to change the political belief.
Two system monopoly on election: moving a small number of votes from one or both to other small parties doesn’t change the duopoly.
And the bonus exercise:
A message with error-correcting codes: if I want to change the message or see that it is change, it’s important to look for the maximal amount of errors that the code can handle, as well as what are the closest message that result from adding just too much error.
A room heated with a thermostat: If the change is lower than the thermostat’s temperature, I must look for some way to cool the room faster than the thermostat can heat it, probably with an exchange with the outside and some sort of heat pump. If the change is higher than the thermostat, then I must look for a source of additional heat that never stops (as the thermostat never makes the room cooler, just wait for it too cool down).
Water in a glass: some factors are the angle of the glass, its structural integrity, the gravitational force on the water, and whether someone around is thirsty
Profound distaste for a specific food: factors seem mainly two, either a change of taste due to age (now I like mushroom but I hated them as a kid), or such a transformation of the food that it loses its problematic properties (like my brother can eat thin fries because they barely taste of potatoes)
Most people’s political belief: factors like a change of community, a complete change in the community, so many scandals that the person changed their mind, or someone capitalizing on the discontent while not changing the image of the political belief.
Two system monopoly on election: factors could be most people agreeing to vote to a third party to break the duopoly, or so few people voting that even small parties have a shot, or siphoning votes for the duopoly into many different parties, splitting everything up.
I particularly like the last two examples. The second-to-last in particular might make an interesting frame for how-to-change-one’s-mind.