哲學(xué)是一門高深學(xué)問，數(shù)學(xué)學(xué)習(xí)難度很大，因此申請(qǐng)牛劍這類英國頂尖高校哲學(xué)+數(shù)學(xué)聯(lián)合專業(yè)的學(xué)生臨著巨大挑戰(zhàn)！

牛津大學(xué)數(shù)學(xué)與哲學(xué)專業(yè)是熱門哲學(xué)關(guān)聯(lián)專業(yè)，學(xué)術(shù)成績要求極高，其A-level成績要求高達(dá)A*A*A，數(shù)學(xué)和進(jìn)階數(shù)學(xué)成績?yōu)锳*，IB總成績要求39分（包含核心科目成績），HL成績766，其中數(shù)學(xué)HL成績?yōu)?。該專業(yè)的面試率為43%，成功錄取率僅為13%。因?yàn)榕＝虼髮W(xué)哲學(xué)相關(guān)專業(yè)的面試難度著實(shí)很大，不僅考察學(xué)生數(shù)學(xué)學(xué)習(xí)能力，而且對(duì)面試者的哲學(xué)邏輯思維能力要求很高！

不信？以下三個(gè)“認(rèn)知邏輯題”（即與知識(shí)推理相關(guān)謎題）是英國牛津大學(xué)數(shù)學(xué)和哲學(xué)專業(yè)公認(rèn)難解的三大面試謎題，大家可以來試試……

1、斯蒂芬妮的驚喜

Stephanie has invited her friends Rowan and Colleen to her home. They are all perfectly logical. She tells them that she has hidden a surprise under one of the blue squares.

Stephanie has privately told Rowan the row number of the surprise and Colleen the column letter of the surprise,and everyone is aware of this. The following conversation ensues.

Rowan: I don’t know where the surprise is,but I also know that Colleen doesn’t know.

Colleen: Yes,indeed,at first I didn’t know the location of the surprise. But now I know where it is.

Rowan: In that case,I now also know where it must be.

Question. Where is the surprise?

Follow up: Suppose that before any conversation took place,someone trips over B1,which opens,revealing it to be empty. a) Could the conversation have proceeded as before? b) Were either of them surprised to see it empty? c) How can it have changed the conversation,if they both knew it already. d) How can it be that adding information,that B1 is empty,makes Rowan’s statement become false? (This is the most interesting aspect of the puzzle,since it seems paradoxical that adding information can reduce knowledge.)

2、瓷磚派對(duì)

At a party for our perfectly logical philosophy friends Sheila and Colin,a surprise has been hidden under one of these coloured tiles:

Each friend is privately told a piece of information about where the surprise is. ?

? Sheila knows the shape of the tile.

? Colin knows the colour of the tile.

It is commonly known by all that this and no other information is given.

Host: Do either of you know where the surprise is?

. . . Awkward long silence. . .

Host: Do you know now?

. . . More awkward silence. . .

Sheila,Colin: (simultaneously): Now I know where it is!

Question. Where is the surprise?

Follow up: a) Did either of them expect the first silence? b) What effect on their knowledge did that silence serve? How did they learn anything from it? c) Did Colin know that Sheila knew that Colin didn’t know initially where the surprise was? d) Did either of them expect the second silence?

3、愛麗絲的盒子

Alice has invited her friends Caroline and Susan to her home,and she has placed several boxes on the table before them. The women are all perfectly logical.

? small red box

? medium red box

? large black box

? small blue box

?large blue box

Alice tells her friends that she has placed a gift into one of the boxes,and she has privately told Caroline the colour of the box and Susan the size of the box,and they both know this. The following conversation ensues.

Caroline: I don’t know which box contains the gift,and I also know that Susan doesn’t know.

Susan: I already knew before you spoke that you didn’t know which box contains the gift.

Caroline: Ah,now that you say that,it suddenly occurs to me which box must contain the gift.

Question. Which box contains the gift?

Follow up: After the conversation,does Susan also know which box contains the gift? If so,who came to the knowledge first,Caroline or Susan?

所有的謎題都來自英國數(shù)學(xué)哲學(xué)家Joel David Hamkins的牛津面試題庫。Joel David Hamkins是牛津大學(xué)學(xué)院邏輯學(xué)教授和彼得·斯特勞森爵士哲學(xué)研究員。

牛津大學(xué)招生官通常會(huì)以一些邏輯推理測(cè)驗(yàn)評(píng)估牛津申請(qǐng)者，因?yàn)檫@可以讓面試官深入了解申請(qǐng)者是如何思考一個(gè)新話題的。從中觀察申請(qǐng)者的個(gè)性和意志力，在不了解所有事情的情況下理性討論某事的能力，其中包括接受他人有用建議的能力。

因此，牛津面試不僅僅是測(cè)試申請(qǐng)者是否可以孤立地自己解決難題，更是面試官可以看到申請(qǐng)者解決問題的整個(gè)展開過程的機(jī)會(huì)，對(duì)牛津大學(xué)招生導(dǎo)師的招生評(píng)估極具價(jià)值。

這些面試題既然已經(jīng)公開，明年面牛津面試是不會(huì)出現(xiàn)這些問題的。但是牛津面試的初衷，對(duì)面試者能力的考察方向基本上是不變的，志在牛劍申請(qǐng)的小伙伴們要努力提升解決實(shí)際問題的能力，了解牛津大學(xué)招生官的評(píng)估重點(diǎn)和看重的申請(qǐng)者所具備的素質(zhì)能力，有的放矢準(zhǔn)備提升，才有機(jī)會(huì)拿到牛津offer！

【微語】世界是一本書，不旅行的人只能讀到其中一頁。