Ulysses contract - make plans to prevent your future self making stupid decisions
Summary
- Ulysses told his sailors to fill their ears with beeswax, and tie him to the mast so he could hear the song of the Sirens, that would mean death if he was allowed to steer the ship towards them
Details
- Ulysses is the Roman name for Odysseus, the Greek hero
References
Quotes
The most famous traveler of antiquity, the Homeric hero Odysseus, was also a mental time traveler. One of the legendary trials on his journey home involved the island of the Sirens. Sailors passing the island became so entranced by the Sirens’ song that they would steer toward the shore, crashing to their deaths on the rocky shoal around the island. Aware of the fate that befell any sailor who heard the song, Odysseus told his crew to tie his hands to the mast and fill their ears with beeswax as they approached the island. They could then steer safely, unaffected by the song they could not hear, while he would get to hear the Sirens’ song without imperiling the ship.
The plan worked perfectly. This action—past-us preventing present-us from doing something stupid—has become known as a Ulysses contract. (Most translations of Homer use the hero’s ancient Greek name, Odysseus. The time-travel strategy uses the hero’s ancient Roman name, Ulysses.)
Related
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- Decisions are like hats, haircuts or tattoos
- Some decisions are better of made with reality in view rather than optimization
- Replace decisions with rules to overcome weaknesses
- Dont make decisions by following your gut instinct
- How to make wise decisions