Missing Wit

26:Last Case

  The last case was postponed for five days due to Kurt's hospitalization. But Kurt did not complain; therefore Lina did not receive a penalty. Lina waited beside Kurt until he had fully recovered. During this time, Kurt's relations with Lina partially improved. If not like siblings, they were at least talking like two distant friends.

After Kurt recovered, the final trial began. Again, as in other cases, Kurt and Lina were seated in the middle. The press was also invited, as a decision would be made in the last case. This meant that the curious and inexhaustible journalist, Eric, who followed the subject most closely, would also attend the hearing.

When Eric came into the living room, he saw that Paul was also in the room. He immediately sat next to Paul. Paul knew her, but Eric had no concern about being recognized. Last time he spoke to Paul, Paul had promised to give Eric an interview for what happened. Eric reminded Paul of this promise. After some thought, Paul agreed and said he had to come home in two days. Eric was glad to get the interview and started watching Kurt and Lina.

Kurt and Lina were sitting opposite each other. The cold and tense air that was present in the previous cases was not present this time. Lina and Kurt were calm, laughing, there was no problem.

The judge began to speak, "All right, Mr. Schütz. In the last case, I said that if you had no further questions to ask, I would read the report and decide. Do you have any further questions to prove that the new Lina Schütz is not the real Lina?"

"I just want to ask a few more questions just to be sure," Kurt said, calmly. Then he turned to Lina and, "Lina. Everyone knows my sister as a calm person. Lina would never hit me or anyone else," he said, recalling the events at home. "According to this, either I made a mistake in copying his personality or my sister had thoughts about me that I did not know. Can you prove any of them?"

There was silence in the hall for a while. Meanwhile, Lina thought about her answer. "So I can't be sure..." he said. Both the board and the press paid attention. Lina continued, "However, I don't think anyone can be sure of that...(after a pause). So, even the real Lina can't answer that. (Pauses a little longer) All people make decisions that they can't even explain, right?"

People were satisfied with this answer. Even though Lina wasn't sure, she gave a good answer. But Kurt had saved the best for last.

"Isn't one side of a human personality from artificial intelligences, that people constantly shape themselves?"

"Yes," said Lina, "people reshape themselves sometimes." But that was not the question.

"Well, Lina, let's say, as a human being, you make similar wrong decisions all the time. You think the reason is because the decision-making method or the decision-making algorithm is wrong for you. What would you do?"

Lina didn't move after the question. Everyone was waiting for an intelligent answer, as Lina always did. But, Lina didn't say anything.

"Would you change your algorithm that makes the wrong decisions?" Kurt asked again.

But Lina could not give any answer. She was just looking left and right. She was shocked, she didn't know what to say. She just stared frozen at Kurt.

"So it is impossible for you to shape yourself. Like people, you can't change the way you make decisions using what you've learned. Is it true?"

"No," Lina said, but her voice was low.

"Then tell me please. If you think your decision-making algorithm is wrong, will you change it?"

Lina didn't have an answer to that question.

Even the judge was surprised that Lina couldn't answer. He paused for a moment, waiting for Lina to answer. He was waiting for the board to say something on this question. But even the board could not give an answer. When the judge saw that one of the panel was shaking his head, he banged his gavel on the table and said, "It has been decided that the new Lina Schütz is not the real Lina Schütz and that the shares go to Kurt Schütz," and concluded the case.

Lina never spoke again that day. He only followed Kurt when he wanted to. They went home together. Who knows how the current was circulating in Lina's algorithm?