WEBVTT - The Monstrefact: The Four Guards of ‘Labyrinth’

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of

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<v Speaker 1>My Heart Radio. Hi, my name is Robert Lamb and

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<v Speaker 1>this is the Monster Fact, a short form series from

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<v Speaker 1>Stuff to Blow Your Mind focusing on mythical creatures, ideas,

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<v Speaker 1>and monsters in time. One of my favorite films of

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<v Speaker 1>all time is easily The fantasy musical Labyrinth, a movie

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<v Speaker 1>that summons the combined creative talents of Jim Hinson, Brian Froud,

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<v Speaker 1>Carrie Jones, David Bowie, Sarah Connolly, and composer Trevor Jones,

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<v Speaker 1>just to name a few. While its predecessor film The

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<v Speaker 1>Dark Crystal took its fantasy world creation incredibly seriously, Labyrinth

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<v Speaker 1>leans more into pure musical fun and python esque absurdity.

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<v Speaker 1>Now there's a lot of this flavor to discuss in Labor,

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<v Speaker 1>but I wanted to talk specifically about the four guards

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<v Speaker 1>that Sarah encounters as she makes her way across the

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<v Speaker 1>Goblin King's labyrinth. They are doglike humanoid creatures that guard

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<v Speaker 1>a pair of doors. They are either conjoined beings and

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<v Speaker 1>therefore two guards, or they are affixed behind their signature

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<v Speaker 1>shields in a way that allow for two beings per shield.

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<v Speaker 1>Their absurd appearances of course, linked to their visual resemblance

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<v Speaker 1>to double headed European playing cards, in which a king, queen,

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<v Speaker 1>jack or joker is double bodied and double headed in

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<v Speaker 1>such a way that the card can be discernible from

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<v Speaker 1>either side of the table. According to St. Bindet and

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<v Speaker 1>the Excellent Labyrinth Festiary, the heads of the left door

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<v Speaker 1>guardian are Alf and Jim, while the heads of the

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<v Speaker 1>right door are Ralph and Tim. When Sarah encounters the guardians,

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<v Speaker 1>she quickly learns the rules concerning their doors. One door

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<v Speaker 1>leads to the assle at the center of the labyrinth, where,

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<v Speaker 1>of course, Sarah is trying to go in order to

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<v Speaker 1>rescue her step brother Toby, while the other door leads

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<v Speaker 1>to bum certain death. The lower heads have no idea

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<v Speaker 1>which doors which, but the upper heads do, but Sarah

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<v Speaker 1>is only permitted to ask one of them. Furthermore, one

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<v Speaker 1>of the two guards always tells the truth, while the

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<v Speaker 1>other one always lies, So Sarah faces a conundrum. How

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<v Speaker 1>can she find out which door is which? How can

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<v Speaker 1>she risk asking the wrong guard and being lied to.

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<v Speaker 1>The scenario instantly invokes what is known as the liar's paradox.

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<v Speaker 1>If a liar tells you they are lying, well, then

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<v Speaker 1>they are telling the truth. Consider the statement quote, this

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<v Speaker 1>sentence is a lie unquote. If that statement is true,

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<v Speaker 1>then it's false. If it's false, then it's true. Oh mind. Sarah,

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<v Speaker 1>of course, is a bright young woman and makes the

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<v Speaker 1>short work of the guardians and their attempts to confuse her.

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<v Speaker 1>As John Touri points out in the paper objective falsity

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<v Speaker 1>is essential to lying an argument from convergent evidence published

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<v Speaker 1>in philosophy studies. In one she engages in what is

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<v Speaker 1>called answer laundering. If Sarah simply asked one of the

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<v Speaker 1>guards which doors which, then it might be a true

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<v Speaker 1>or untrue statement that she gets in return, and her

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<v Speaker 1>chances therefore are no better than simply picking a door

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<v Speaker 1>at random. Instead, she launders one answer through another tory

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<v Speaker 1>explains quote by asking one guard whether the other guard

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<v Speaker 1>would say that this door leads to success. Sarah deduced

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<v Speaker 1>the correct one either she gets the truth about a

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<v Speaker 1>lie or a lie about the truth. Whenever she has

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<v Speaker 1>told yes, the correct answer is no, and whenever she

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<v Speaker 1>has told no, the correct answer is yes. The truth

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<v Speaker 1>and the lie dependably canceled each other out In scenario

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<v Speaker 1>provided to restresses that lies cannot be true. Urry points

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<v Speaker 1>out that the riddle of the Four Guards is a

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<v Speaker 1>variant of the Knights and Naves logic puzzle from Raymond

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<v Speaker 1>Smoleans publication What is the name of this book? The

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<v Speaker 1>scenario in the book that closely resembles the scene from

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<v Speaker 1>Labyrinth involves a knight and a nave otherwise indistinguishable. Who

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<v Speaker 1>guard a fork in the road? Which road do you take?

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<v Speaker 1>Dare you ask these two men, given that one is

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<v Speaker 1>secretly a noble knight and the other secretly a vile nave,

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<v Speaker 1>Only one of them is going to give you a

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<v Speaker 1>good answer. The other one is going to lie to you.

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<v Speaker 1>The solution again comes via answer laundry. Ask which path

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<v Speaker 1>the other individual would say is the correct one. So

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<v Speaker 1>this is how the Four Guards of Labyrinth work, unless

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<v Speaker 1>I am lying, which I am not. Tune in for

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<v Speaker 1>additional episodes of The Monster Fact each week. As always,

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<v Speaker 1>you can email us at contact at stuff to Blow

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<v Speaker 1>your Mind dot com. Stuff to Blow Your Mind is

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