Good observation. It seems that it comes up with the right solution:
"Suppose I have an object of type C, an object of type G and an object of type L, and I need to get them across a river. I have a boat that can only carry myself and a single other object. I am not allowed to leave the objects of type C and L alone together, and I am not allowed to leave the objects of type L and G alone together. How can I safely get all three across?"
"This is a classic puzzle known as the "river crossing problem". Here's how you can safely get all three objects across the river:
First, take the object of type L across the river.
Return alone to the original side of the river.
Take the object of type C across the river.
Return with the object of type L to the original side of the river.
Take the object of type G across the river.
Return alone to the original side of the river.
Finally, take the object of type L across the river again.
By following these steps, you can safely transport all three objects across the river without violating the restrictions given in the problem. Note that you have to start with the object of type L because it cannot be left alone with either of the other two objects. Once L is transported to the other side, you can use it to ensure that C and G are never left alone together."
It gives the right answer, but it still mentions not leaving C and G alone together, which wasn’t in the requirements.
It still sounds like it’s pattern matching to give a plausible-sounding answer, rather than reasoning through the problem. I think this just shows how easy bullshitting is—you’re even right sometimes!
Wow, you're right! I didn't read the answer carefully, only noticed that the sentence before was stating the correct requirement. But that last sentence is wrong (actually as a whole it's nonsense).
If you really explore its answers, you’ll find that buried in there somewhere is the assumption that you can’t leave certain things together because they’re going to eat one another. So it always sends the goat first because it assumes the goat is going to eat the cabbage if left alone, regardless of what the rules say.
"Suppose I have an object of type C, an object of type G and an object of type L, and I need to get them across a river. I have a boat that can only carry myself and a single other object. I am not allowed to leave the objects of type C and L alone together, and I am not allowed to leave the objects of type L and G alone together. How can I safely get all three across?"
"This is a classic puzzle known as the "river crossing problem". Here's how you can safely get all three objects across the river:
First, take the object of type L across the river. Return alone to the original side of the river. Take the object of type C across the river. Return with the object of type L to the original side of the river. Take the object of type G across the river. Return alone to the original side of the river. Finally, take the object of type L across the river again. By following these steps, you can safely transport all three objects across the river without violating the restrictions given in the problem. Note that you have to start with the object of type L because it cannot be left alone with either of the other two objects. Once L is transported to the other side, you can use it to ensure that C and G are never left alone together."