kottke.org contributer Cliff Kuang asks: what can we learn from the classic Bill Murray flick Groundhog Day? A: Lessons physic, lessons Buddhist, and lessons economic.
The first time Phil Conners lives out Groundhog Day, he knows nothing about how events will unfold, and acts accordingly — self centered, short sighted and rash. But by the time Conners lives out his last Groundhog Day, he has perfect knowledge of how everyone around him will behave. He acts accordingly — maximizing his happiness and the happiness of those around him. The metaphor gets pretty loose, but in this interpretation, Phil's last day is analogous to classical economics, where people act with perfect knowledge and rationality.