Sooner or later, someone is going to walk up to you with a bucket, and somewhat breathlessly explain how you urgently need to stick your head in it.

It might have any number of different labels on it. “Jesus”, perhaps. Or “philosophy”. Or “psychotherapy”, “socialism”, “functional programming”, or “steroids”, or “veganism” or “nofap” or “The Red Pill”, or “LSD”, or “mysticism”.

They’ll explain how inside the bucket is a wonderful enlightening experience that will change your view of the universe… and having already stuck their own heads there, they certainly seem to believe it. But is that a slightly glazed look in their eyes?

If we look at this problem in a naive, simplified-math-game-theory way, it’s insoluble. Before you stick your head in the bucket, you don’t know what’s inside. And afterwards, if indeed you do, you don’t know if you have truly gained meaningful enlightenment, or simply been practiced upon.

But the world, fortunately for us, isn’t actually that simple. It’s full of other people...

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