The Dice Man
by Luke Rhinehart
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Book Summary Information
Author: Luke RhinehartEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1998-05-01
ISBN: 0879518642
Number of pages: 324
Publisher: Overlook TP
Book Reviews of The Dice Man
Book Review: Hmmm. Do not like.
Summary: 2 Stars
The main character is insane, depressed, bored, drugged, has a perpetual "grass is greener on the other side of the fence" mentality, lacks capacity for serious research, has a shameful disdain for the benefits of living and participating as a rational member of a rational society, and unnecessarily brings religion into the picture. He typically selects from insane choices (murder, rape, having his kid beat up somebody, leaving his family forever, helping mental patients escape, etc.), showing a flaw in his brain wiring, not a flaw with the idea of using a chance device.
I was recommended this book on a list of people who like mathematics and statistics and books that feature these subjects. I cannot say that this book features statistics or probability in any meaningful, intelligent, or respectable way, and therefore I cannot recommend the book. I also cannot recommend the book for the disgusting aspects alluded to, much like I cannot recommend the movie Pi because it portrayed the mathy person as disturbed and insane. Mathematics and probability are important and interesting enough that escapist authors shouldn't need to portray the characters as being insane, wicked, violent, participants in orgies, etc., just to develop interest.
On to making decisions using dice.
First, on p. 154, there are incorrect probabilities. I put the correct probabilities in parentheses:
P(sum = 4 or 5) = 1/5 (7/36)
P(sum = 6) = 1/7 (5/36)
P(sum = 8 or 11) = 1/5 (7/36)
P(sum = 9 or 10) = 1/5 (7/36)
Let's take the example of a coin (a two sided die) for simplicity, and these five typical options:
Option 1 (good to none, bad to all)
Heads: I do something bad to X.
Tails: I do something bad to Y.
Option 2 (good to some, bad to some)
Heads: I give $500 to charity.
Tails: I do something bad to X.
Option 3 (only good to you)
Heads: I eat ice cream.
Tails: I eat pie.
Option 4 (good to you, good to some)
Heads: I give $500 to charity.
Tails: I eat pie.
Option 5 (good to others)
Heads: I give $500 to charity.
Tails: I pick up litter in my neighborhood.
Options 1-2 are just wrong. Option 3 is too rewarding. Therefore, Options 1-3 are just using the die for justification for your poor, and as yet unselected, choices in life, and personal flaws. These options happen to be the main ones used in the book.
Option 4 is a step in the right direction, thinking of not only yourself but also of others (in a good way).
Option 5 is the ideal type I'm putting forth, because it is constructive, helpful, positive and uplifting. Of course, frequency needs to be taken into consideration. Paradoxically, if I choose Option 5 to do every day, I'd be broke, unable to support my family, lose my job, etc., so one cannot even do some "good to all" things too much or it can become a bad option. All things in moderation.
Of course, one could also do something like:
Heads: I will never take dice advice again.
Tails: I eat pie.
If Heads lands, what do you do? If you obey, you're not obeying the die, but you are, but you're not, etc. This is why on p. 107 he imposed a time frame of 1 month like "Heads: I will not take dice advice for 1 month". That is, he realized, maybe subconsciously, that this paradox destroys the "dice as god" illusion his insane brain has attempted to construct.
So it still comes down to the person making a decision - the decision of what to choices to list and choose from, and the decision to take the advice or not. That is, using a chance device is not removing the self from the equation at all, nor avoiding guilt, but merely weighting the user's choices in a user-approved way. As you move from Option 1 to Option 5, the self becomes more removed but the randomization doesn't accomplish that as much as the user approved choices do.
If a book would be written with sane and positive choices for the die to randomly select, it would be a much better read and more useful message. Positive uses of randomization have included: science (tons of uses in this area), music, film, art, exercise, recreation, investing, and many other areas.
Summary of The Dice Man
The cult classic that can still change your life! Let the dice decide! This is the philosophy that changes the life of bored psychiatrist Luke Rhinehart -- and in some ways changes the world as well. Because once you hand over your life to the dice, anything can happen. Entertaining, humorous, scary, shocking, subversive, The Dice Man is one of the cult bestsellers of our time.United States Books
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