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The Eudaemons

In the late 1970's, a group of UCSC students were drawn together in a monumental effort to predict the unpredictable. Their goal was to achieve happiness (and a little financial security) for themselves and their friends via the roulette wheels of Las Vegas. They called themselves The Eudaemons, which stems from their eudaemonic philosophy...

 

eu-dae-mo-nism n. [Gk eudaimonia happiness, fr. eudaimon having a good attendant spirit, happy, fr. eu- + daimon spirit](1827): a theory that defines moral obligation by reference to personal well-being through a life governed by reason.

-- Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary

 

Thomas A. Bass, a UCSC graduate, brought the efforts of the Eudaemons to the attention of the world in his book, The Eudaemonic Pie, first published in 1985.

The Eudaemonic Pie - Image Photo of Thomas Bass The Newtonian Casino - Image

"The fascinating technical adventure of a scientific commune that builds a computer which can really beat roulette! And though Reason's demons, the Eudaemons, manage to run their hands through casino gold, Bass' superb prose suggests that the human relationships they forged in the struggle may have been the greater glory and the greater reward."
-- Dr. Edward Thorp, author of Beat the Dealer

 

The success of the Eudaemons' project was based on pioneering research in non-linear dynamics at UCSC's Physics Department . Modeling and predicting the behavior of a roulette wheel was one of the most unusual and exciting applications of knowledge from this field.


Additional Information


The following pictures were found on the UCSC site and added here:

Photo of Doyne Farmer
Doyne Farmer

Photo of Rob Shaw
Rob Shaw

The Eudaemons


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Last modified 14-Jun-97