Agree! What makes the thought experiment valuable is precisely that it uses an accessible example to help us grasp the ungraspable concept of infinity. It's a teaching tool, not a prediction.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The infinite monkey theorem is not applied mathematics (or literature). It is a thought experiment: a way of demonstrating the implications of infinity, that this thing that could never, ever, ever happen in our universe—because our universe is mind-bogglingly old and huge but not infinite—would happen under that condition. That it uses a simian example that helps a dummy like me start to grasp the shape and span of the unthinkable is evidence for its utility.

I agree with the counterpoint. The point was like "this thought experiment is wrong, because when thought about wrong, the conclusion is wrong."

ideasfromtheedge

Point/Counterpoint: Monkeys Typing Shakespeare

> The infinite monkey theorem is not applied mathematics (or literature). It is a thought experiment: a way of demonstrating the implications of infinity, that this thing that could never, ever, ever happen in our universe—because our universe is mind-bogglingly old and huge but not infinite—would happen under that condition. That it uses a simian example that helps a dummy like me start to grasp the shape and span of the unthinkable is evidence for its utility.

I agree with the counterpoint. The point was like "this thought experiment is wrong, because when thought about wrong, the conclusion is wrong."