The Witness: Lab 06

The Jungle

Lose your way in a thicket of bamboo shoots as you contemplate the aural qualities of the jungle.

You Are Here

Key Insights

What’s The Strategy?	Confusion	Combination

Audio Logs

• Lao Tzu:

  

• Sahib ibn Abbad:

  

• Richard Feynman:

  

What’s The Strategy?

Group Discussion: These puzzles look peculiar. What do you think their solutions represent?

Confusion

Environmental distraction will make solving these puzzles tricky.

Group Discussion: Consider how you might mentally “filter” the useful puzzle clues from the distractions. What mental or physical techniques do you employ to make this process easier?

Combination

Consider this twisted tree located in the center of a maze of bamboo.

Group Discussion: Why do you think this curved tree is here? What symbolism does the tree convey in the context of this area?

Lao Tzu

Entering the jungle from the monastery, look to the path to discover two audio logs sitting on either side of the path. Consider this excerpt from Lao Tzu.

View Excerpt

Group Discussion: Reflect on this notion of “being” and “non-being”. Is the jungle merely a collection of trees, or can each tree be considered individually, apart from its surroundings? How many trees could one remove from this jungle before the jungle would cease to exist?

Sahib ibn Abbad

Adjacent to Lao Tzu’s audio log turn right to see an audio log excerpt of Sahib ibn Abbad resting off to the right of the path.

View Excerpt

Richard Feynman

This audio-log recording featuring Richard Feynman can be found along the rocky edge of an open path.

View Excerpt

Bonus Puzzle

Group Discussion: What might the yellow arrow symbol mean in the context of this puzzle?

Completing Lab 6

This part of the island is complete when the final puzzle is solved and the laser fires into the sky. Nice work!

The Witness Journal Entry #6

Write a journal entry on what you learned from this lab. Pretend that you are a scientist exploring this island for the very first time. Choose one of the prompts below (either 1, 2, 3, or 4) to respond to in your journal entry.

1. Struggle and Strife

   • As you complete the jungle area, contemplate your own delights and frustrations in solving these unique puzzles.

   • Do you become easily defeated when the puzzle challenge is too great? Explain.

   • Does the challenge of a tough puzzle inspire you to keep trying? Explain.

2. A Philosophy of Ignorance

   • Listen to Richard Feynman’s audio log excerpt on “The Philosophy of Ignorance”.

   • Do you agree or disagree with the content of this excerpt? Explain.

   • In your progress through The Witness, how has your ignorance propelled you forward or held you back? Explain.

3. Difference and Distraction

   • As you advance through the jungle, consider how competing distractions make completing the puzzles difficult.

   • Did you find some puzzle clues easier to understand than others? Explain.

   • Discuss how you filtered the relevant information from the background noise. What challenges arose during this process?

4. Combinatorial Concepts

   • Throughout the jungle there are many puzzles that test you on similar concepts.

   • In what ways are each section of these panels similar? Explain.

   • What distinctions exist between each paneled section? How do these distinctions help you understand the rules of this area?

Final Journal Requirement:

After responding to one of the items above, discuss the solution to a particular puzzle that challenged you. Explain the mechanics of this puzzle in detail and how you came to understand them. If it helps, feel free to include screenshots or sketches of the puzzle.