- 1. Start with a cage containing five
apes. In the cage, hang a banana on a string and put stairs under it. Before
long, an ape will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the Banana.
-
- 2. As soon as he touches the stairs,
spray all of the apes with cold water. After a while, another ape makes
an attempt with the same result--all the apes are sprayed with cold water.
-
- 3. Turn off the cold water. If, later,
another ape tries to climb the stairs, the other apes will try to prevent
it even though no water sprays them.
-
- 4. Now, remove one ape from the cage
and replace it with a new one. The New ape sees the banana and wants to
climb the stairs. To his horror, all of the other apes attack him. After
another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs,
he will be assaulted.
-
- 5. Next, remove another of the original
five apes and replace it with a New one. The newcomer goes to the stairs
and is attacked. The previous Newcomer takes part in the punishment with
enthusiasm.
-
- 6. Again, replace a third original ape
with a new one. The new one makes it to the stairs and is attacked as well.
Two of the four apes that beat him have no idea why they were not permitted
to climb the stairs, or why they are participating in the beating of the
newest ape.
-
- 7. After replacing the fourth and fifth
original apes, all the apes which have been sprayed with cold water have
been replaced.
-
- Nevertheless, no ape ever again approaches
the stairs. Why not?
-
- "BECAUSE that's the way it's always
been done around here."
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