Before I did the same with Andrew S. Tanenbaum. These two are the authors of the book Artificial Intelligence, a Modern Approach, Second Edition. It seems these guys have a sense of humor similar to that of the author of Minix, which makes the reading, in my case, much more enjoyable.

First let me clarify what an “agent” is:

Agent: An agent is anything capable of perceiving its environment and acting in that environment.

Here go some of their quotes:

Page 40: On the concept of rationality and performance measures.

Performance measures include the criteria that determine success in the agent’s behavior… Obviously, there is no single measure suitable for all agents. You can ask the agent for its subjective opinion about its own performance, but many agents would be unable to answer, and others could deceive themselves. Footnote: Human agents are particularly known for their sourness, they make it seem like they didn’t want something after not having been able to get it, for example: “Oh well, I didn’t want that stupid Nobel Prize anyway”.

Page 41: Continues on performance measures.

Which is better, a reckless life with highs and lows, or a safe but boring existence? Which is better, an economy in which everyone lives in a state of moderate poverty or one in which some live in abundance and others are very poor? These questions are left as an exercise for the diligent reader.

Page 42: Some clarifications on rationality and omniscience.

An omniscient agent knows the outcome of its action and acts accordingly; however, in reality omniscience is not possible. Consider the following example: I’m walking along the Champs-Élysées and I see a friend on the other side of the street. There’s no traffic around and I have no engagements, so, acting rationally, I would start crossing the street. At the same time, at 33,000 feet of altitude, the door of an airplane comes loose,

Footnote: See N. Henderson “New door latches urged for Boeing 747 jumbo jets”, Washington Post, August 24, 1989.

and before I finish crossing to the other side of the street I find myself flattened. Was crossing the street irrational? It would be surprising if my obituary read “An idiot trying to cross the street”.

Three quotes in three consecutive pages. This guy is awesome! (or I should be a bit more refined with my choices).