The meaning of the phraseological unit "Buridan's donkey"

What is the meaning of the phraseological unit "Buridan's donkey"? Perhaps not so often in modern communication you can hear such a phrase, but it is quite well-known, and even in 1968 German writer Gunter de Bruin wrote the novel Buridan's Donkey. We'll first look at the history of this expression and then look at what "Buridan's donkey" means today.

So, first of all, let’s define the phraseological unit “Buridan’s donkey” - this is a paradox in philosophy, which received its name from the name of such a French philosopher and logician as Jean Buridan. Although it must be said that Aristotle also raised this topic. Then the question was formulated something like this: if a donkey is given two treats, each of which is tempting for the donkey, will he be able to make a rational choice?

Speaking about the meaning of "Buridan's Donkey", it is important to note that Jean Buridan himself did not cover the issue in his writings, introducing the donkey, but he touched upon similar topic. Buridan's position can be described as moral determinism, that is: when a person has to choose, he should do it, leaning towards the greater good. True, the philosopher suggested that sometimes the choice is slowed down because a person must first evaluate the results.

If you are also trying to understand the meaning of the phraseological unit "Buridan's donkey", then pay attention to its translation from Latin language- "Buridan's donkey between two lawns." After some time, other literary figures somewhat modified this concept, citing the example of a donkey and two good haystacks, which are equally accessible from the donkey. They argued that the donkey was doomed to starve in this situation because it would not be able to make a decision. This view was very firmly held by Leibniz, a Saxon philosopher and mathematician. He also made efforts to disseminate this version of the phraseology "Buridan's donkey."

Task logic

Speaking in more detail about the logic of the problem, it is worth drawing the following conclusion: a donkey who thinks rationally will not die of starvation, but it is impossible to confidently say which haystack he will choose. After all, if the donkey refuses to eat, that will also be a choice. It turns out that he has three options: a haystack on the left, a haystack on the right, and death by starvation. Since the worst of these options is the third, the donkey's choice will never fall on it.

What does the expression "Buridan's donkey" mean today?

Having considered the history of this phraseological unit, it becomes clear that the expression “Buridan’s donkey” is usually applied to a very indecisive person who does not know what choice to make and hesitates. Especially if we're talking about about making two equivalent decisions.

Let's summarize: when we call a person this way, we refer to the philosopher Buridan, who proved that living beings make decisions not of their own free will, but due to external reasons.

Catchphrases are pearls that enrich our spoken language. By how and when a person pronounces such phraseological units, you can very easily get an idea of ​​his intelligence and education.

These expressions folk wisdom always sound differently. Some are eccentric - “to the point of melting”, others are pompous - “the die is cast, the Rubicon has been crossed”, and still others...

When you hear something like this from someone's mouth winged words“, like “Buridan’s donkey,” the imagination involuntarily draws a picture of a stupid donkey with all four legs planted in the ground and unwilling to budge.
In fact, donkeys are not stubborn at all, they are hardworking and easy to control. True, sometimes something comes over them, but this happens very rarely.

In the mountains of Afghanistan, for caravans following secret paths, smugglers always prefer to use obedient donkeys than their competitors - restive and large horses. Therefore, it is worth recognizing that the myths about the stubbornness of donkeys are extremely exaggerated.

If many people know the phraseology "Buridan's donkey", then how many people have heard about the donkey's owner, Buridan? So who is this mysterious Buridan?
The fact that the whole world knows about his donkey, does this mean that Buridan was a very influential person?

The history of the appearance of this phrase "Buridan's donkey" goes back to 14 century in romantic France. At that time, full of dangers and exploits, there lived one scientist and philosopher. He was a great smart guy, he slowly scribbled his paper, played with words and generally behaved quite idle image life. Despite his powerful intellect, he was not noted in any way by his contemporaries, he did not deserve his share of fame.

So he died in obscurity, but soon after his death, someone remembered a very funny statement of this philosopher Jean Buridan. He often used to say that if you place two completely identical haystacks at an equal distance from each other and place a donkey at an equally accessible distance from them .That is, so that a donkey could reach one and with the same success another haystack. Jean Buridan asserted with confidence that in in this case the donkey will simply die of hunger, because he will hesitate from which hay to start taking food from.

It does not at all follow from this that Jean Buridan was enthusiastically engaged in practical experiments. He simply assumed that perhaps the donkey would die of hunger, that’s all.

Although some researchers suggest that a similar idea was given to him by Aristotle, who first put forward the idea that if food and water are placed at equal distances in front of a person who is deprived of drink and hungry, he can die of hunger due to indecision. A similar statement can be read in the book of the great philosopher "On Heaven".

I wrote about this famous writer Dante in his beautiful Divine Comedy ". In the fourth song, which is called "Paradise" he writes about a person who is so stupid that he would prefer death if the same food is placed in front of him at an equal distance. At the sight of which he will hesitate which food to choose, and he will die. from hunger.

Whether Jean Buridan plagiarized this idea from his venerable colleagues, or came up with it with his own mind, we will never know unless we learn to summon the spirits of the dead. However, the fact remains that “Buridan’s donkey” is the idea of ​​​​Jean Buridan himself. Very few people are awarded such posthumous fame as this Frenchman from 14 century. Try this expression on yourself, can you make a choice from an equal?

Buridan's donkey what is it, Buridan's donkey, donkey between haystacks, donkey between two lawns, Buridan's donkey paradox, all about Buridan's donkey

This is a donkey that is dying of hunger, being between two identical armfuls of hay, because it cannot prefer one of them.

Sections:

The essence of the experiment / paradox

Buridanov's donkey- the paradox of absolute determinism in the doctrine of will, named after Jean Buridan. According to this 14th-century French scholastic philosopher, man acts according to what his reason judges. If the mind decides that the good presented to it is a perfect and comprehensive good, then the will rushes towards it. It follows from this that if the mind recognizes one good as the highest and another as the lowest, then the will, other things being equal, will rush to the highest. When the mind recognizes both goods as equivalent, then the will cannot act at all.

To illustrate his teaching, Buridan gave the example of a donkey standing between two equally attractive bundles of hay, but unable to choose one of them. These reflections were not preserved in the works of the philosopher known to us, so it is not known for sure whether this is true or fiction. According to Wikipedia [link], this paradox is known from the works of Aristotle, who posed the question: how can a donkey, given two equally tempting treats, still rationally make a choice? Buridan himself touched on a similar topic, defending the position of moral determinism - that a person, faced with a choice, must choose aside greater good. Buridan admitted that choice could be slowed down by evaluating the results of each choice. His point of view was later exaggerated by other writers, arguing that a donkey, choosing between two equally accessible and good haystacks, would certainly die of hunger. Leibniz popularized this version.

Marginalized

• The ancient Greek philosopher and scientist Aristotle (384-322 BC) in his essay “On Heaven” spoke about a man who, despite hunger and thirst, being at the same distance from food and water, continues to remain in the same place, not daring to extend a hand to either one [link] .

Interpretations No donkeys were harmed
According to rumors, giving the example of a donkey, Buridan asked listeners: “However, where have you seen donkeys die in such situations?” If they could not make a choice, then, probably, all of Asia would be littered with donkey corpses. Donkeys walk quite calmly across Asia between armfuls of hay or between two identical meadows and chew both with appetite. From this we can conclude that the behavior of an animal, and even more so a person, is not determined by external circumstances, and since philosophical donkeys do not die, it means that free will exists [link]. The conclusion above is very comforting, however, given that Buridan was a religious philosopher, the author considers it important next nuance: the paradox shows the powerlessness of reason, since free will decides everything on the basis of faith. If we have two solutions, and they are absolutely identical, then the mind comes to a contradiction and cannot offer a rational way out of it. To still make a choice, you need faith [link].

• In the typology of conflicts, the position of Buridan’s donkey is called an “appetitive-appetent” conflict [link].

Image in culture

• There is a proverb in Latin: “Asinus Buridani inter duo prata” - “Buridani’s donkey between two lawns.”
• The expression “Buridan's donkey” has become a phraseological unit. This is an ironic name for an indecisive person who hesitates in choosing between two equal desires.
• On the website of Alexander Shcherbina, a Moscow singer-songwriter, you can find a song by the vagants named after Buridan’s donkey [link].
• The name "Buridan's Donkey" is given to one of the Tarot card layouts [link].
• Story of the same name, dedicated quite current problem elections, the Italian writer Eugenio Montale has [link].
• The same name is given to the novel by Gunter de Bruyn, where the protagonist, entangled in a love affair, finds himself in the position of Buridan's ass.
• In The Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri, who needs no introduction, writes (by the way, even before Buridan):
  

  Between two equally enticing dishes, free
  In their choice, I wouldn’t bring it to my teeth
  Not a single one and would have died hungry...

  So the lamb would hesitate between two threats
  Voracious wolves, equally feared;
  This is how a dog would hesitate between two deer.

  And the fact that I was silent, equally languid
  Doubts, considered neither good nor evil
  It is impossible, since this path is necessary.

• In Henry Lyon Oldie's "Heroes' Home" there is an allusion to a donkey:

  At the fork - here Vysokoparnaya, like the sting of a snake, forked into Pipinov Boulevard and Degtyarnikov Street - the hinny stopped in indecision. He danced on the spot, looking like the legendary dragon Berrida Scalewing, who was unable to choose between two princesses and died twice: from hunger and longing for family life.

• Blogger Alenson compares Buridan's donkey paradox with Weierstrass's theorem in mathematics:

  If continuous function at one point it is positive (= the donkey wants to go left), and at the other it is negative (= the donkey wants to go to the right), then somewhere between them there is a point where the function is equal to zero (= the donkey does not want to go anywhere, prepare a funeral).

08.01.2019 18.02.2019 Alexander Firtsev

Animal images often inspire people to create meaningful expressions. In this regard, a donkey cannot be called a superhero. He is credited with stupidity, stubbornness, and rudeness. Comparisons with ungulates are unflattering for pride. For example, Valaam’s donkey is a name given to a submissive, uncomplaining person who suddenly decides to speak. What about Buridan's donkey? What is the subtext of this phrase?

The meaning of phraseology

An extremely doubtful person who hesitates to make a choice in favor of one of two equally attractive possibilities is compared to Buridan's donkey. He is tempted by one or another lucrative offer.

As a result, the poor fellow misses both options, without having time to decide on his preferences. For example, someone is given the chance to fly on New Year holidays to Egypt. And a day later an invitation arrives from friends from Switzerland. Imagining something warm sea ​​waves, then the snowy peaks of the Alps, the lucky one is carried away so far in his dreams that he “awakens” to action only on December 31st. He hurries to order tickets, but they are no longer available. New Year you have to meet it in the standard way: with a bowl of Olivier and Maxim Galkin.

The only child in the world looks like Buridan's donkey. big family, who is vying with entertainment offers during the holidays. Grandma bought tickets to puppet theater, grandpa invites you to go skiing in the forest, mom and dad have planned a trip to a festive super mega show in a neighboring city. The child is lost because of the abundance of possibilities. Adults pull him in different directions. Instead of joy, a feeling of annoyance remains in the child’s soul. Even after making a choice in favor of his parents, the baby does not feel happy. Sometimes adults need to be smarter.

Asinine behavior is demonstrated by a young man wondering whether he should get married. After consulting with married friends, he understands that married life has advantages: an established life, order in the house, a conquered and tamed woman nearby. On the other hand, being single is so tempting! No one bosses you around; you manage your free time and money yourself. While he is making a decision, his beloved despairs of receiving an offer and unconsciously sets her sights on “someone distant from him.” The choice must be made on time.

Origin of phraseology

The statement that a donkey placed at the same distance from two haystacks will not decide to go to either is called the paradox of intellectual determinism. According to legend, French philosopher In the 14th century, Jean Buridan, while researching the human psyche, decided to conduct an experiment on his own donkey. He offered the animal feeders, one of which contained barley, and the other - oats. Instead of having a stomach feast, the donkey pondered the choice for three whole days, after which he died of starvation.

However, this is just a legend. In fact, the parable of the donkey dates back to the writings of Aristotle. Buridan only developed her idea, suggesting that the need to choose twice slows down decision making. Leibniz later returned to the same metaphor. It was he who first used the expression. According to modern biologists, an animal will never choose starvation if food is available. Buridan's donkey behaves too humanly, he is tormented by existential questions. Real animals are more natural and simpler: the donkey will think and think, and then start eating. Don't let so much goodness go to waste!

Synonymous expressions

Phraseologism has synonyms that hint at the difficulty of choosing; the following proverbs especially accurately convey the content of the phrase:

• Where should I go: to the smart ones or to the beautiful ones?
• If you chase two hares, you won’t catch either.
• You can't sit on two chairs at once.

No matter how indecisive you may be, remember: choice is wonderful! Let it not scare you, but give you freedom and inspiration. And don’t delay making decisions like Buridan’s donkey, otherwise someone will take you by the leash and lead you wherever he wants.

0 If you are interested in popular catchphrases, then you have come exactly to the right place. Now the topic of phraseological units is again in great demand, because people always want to stand out from the crowd. Don’t forget to bookmark our website so you can check back with us periodically. Today we will talk about enough famous expression, This Buridanov's donkey, meaning and origin you can read a little lower.
However, before you continue, I would like to recommend you a couple of other interesting articles on the topic of proverbs and sayings. For example, what does it mean to wash the bones; how to understand The soul has gone to the heels; the meaning of the phraseological unit Awl in a sack cannot be hidden; what does it mean to be born, etc.
So let's continue What does Buridanov's donkey mean??

Buridanov's donkey- this is the name given to an extremely indecisive person who hesitates in choosing between two equivalent decisions

Example:

Asinus Buridani inter duo prata (Buridanov's donkey between two lawns).

Since ancient times, philosophers have been engaged in endless assumptions and conjectures, without trying to prove their words in practice.
One of these theories was that the actions of all living beings, without exception, depend not so much on their own will, but on external factors.

One medieval scientist became interested in this question. Jean Buridan/Buridan, who lived in sunny France in the 14th century.
Although it is worth noting that the paradox named after him was known back in the time of Aristotle.

In fact Buridan never mentioned this hypothetical donkey in his writings, but touched upon this problem in more in a deep sense. According to him, a person who is faced with this task must make a choice towards the greater good. Although this French scientist admitted that such a choice could last for some time while a person is busy assessing the results of each of the two elections.

In fact, they started talking about this donkey later; other philosophers exaggerated this problem and made it easier to understand. That's when the one appeared Buridanov's donkey, which froze at an equal distance from two haystacks of equal size and weight. As a result, this ungulate died of hunger, unable to give preference to any of these identical haystacks.

If we consider this idea within the framework of ordinary logic, then we can safely say that it does not matter what kind of hay the donkey chooses, it is important that he does not die of hunger. The option of death should not be considered at all, since nature and instincts will not allow him to do such a thing suicide.

Now we do not know whether someone in ancient times could actually carry out this experiment, but only since that time, people who hesitate for a long time, are indecisive, and are unable to make a decision for a long time, are sometimes called " Buridan's donkeys".

In mathematics there is Weierstrass's theorem, which can be compared to Buridan's donkey paradox:

If the donkey wants to go to the left haystack (If the continuous function at one point is positive), or eat the right haystack (and at the other - negative), or the donkey will remain in place and die of hunger (there is a point somewhere between them, where the function is equal to zero).

After reading this article, you learned meaning of Buridan's donkey, origin, and you won't get there again