In "The Gold Bug," Poe wrote: "...it may well be doubted whether human ingenuity can construct an enigma of the kind which human ingenuity may not, by proper application, resolve." Is this, like, hubris?

Does this, like, apply only to puzzles that are, like, created by, like, humans and not, like, generated by, like, computer programs? The programs are originally written by, like, humans, but, they can reach a point where their production is, like, beyond the ability of their author.

-- Anonymous, September 30, 2004

Answers

Simply if man can create a mystery then man can solve it. Obviously there were no computers in Poe's day yet there were a few articles on scientific advances showing Poe's progressive spirit.

Poe's last puzzle code was damaged by sloppy typesetting, yet that too was solved recently by human genuity aided by computer. Of course it took 150 years despite the prize money.

-- Anonymous, October 07, 2004