Can ChatGPT Reason? Not Exactly

An Annotated Adventure

I believe that cryptanalysis of classic cipher systems is a useful way to evaluate the asserted logical facilities of LLM-based AI systems. I base this belief on two facts: classic cipher systems are language-based, which eliminates the complaint that the LLM is given problems outside its area of expertise, and hand cipher systems have been well-studied and ranked in order of difficulty. In addition, the process of cryptanalysis exercises a range of reasoning skills, such as formulating hypotheses, evaluating them, and following logical steps. Breaking a cipher is an either-or situation and is to my mind superior to artificial benchmarks or use of problematic “intelligence tests” designed for humans.

So I have occasionally submitted problems in the simple substitution cipher to LLMs like ChatGPT to see how they do. And they do not do well at all. ¹

After OpenAI announced its new version of ChatGPT with “chain of thought” reasoning ability I decided to give it a try.² A commenter kindly pointed out that I had used the wrong version of ChatGPT, and also provided a session that guided ChatGPT to a solution. ³

This example was interesting enough to share. In the text below my observations are in bold italic and the commenter’s prompts are in simple bold. I have removed some irrelevant formatting statements and duplication from the ChatGPT generated text and added section headers to make it easier to follow. Square brackets indicate where I have summarized ChatGPT output.

An important caution:

The new, “chain of thought,” version of ChatGPT provides what appear to be the steps in the chain. Well, not exactly. OpenAI issued the following policy entitled “Hiding the Chains of Thought" ⁴

We believe that a hidden chain of thought presents a unique opportunity for monitoring models. Assuming it is faithful and legible, the hidden chain of thought allows us to "read the mind" of the model and understand its thought process. For example, in the future we may wish to monitor the chain of thought for signs of manipulating the user. However, for this to work the model must have freedom to express its thoughts in unaltered form, so we cannot train any policy compliance or user preferences onto the chain of thought. We also do not want to make an unaligned chain of thought directly visible to users. Therefore, after weighing multiple factors including user experience, competitive advantage, and the option to pursue the chain of thought monitoring, we have decided not to show the raw chains of thought to users. We acknowledge this decision has disadvantages. We strive to partially make up for it by teaching the model to reproduce any useful ideas from the chain of thought in the answer. For the o1 model series we show a model-generated summary of the chain of thought.

The effects of this policy are such that any analysis of, or speculation on, the nature or causes of a given “chain of thought” presented by ChatGPT should be done with extreme caution and disclaimers.

First Try

You [Human] said:

Please solve the following cryptogram: REF SJNFUR REJXY JX REF GXJZFLUF JU XBR UVKAF, JR JU REF VBRFXRJKW AKVKAJRM BO REF EGCKX EFKLR.

ChatGPT

Thought for 215 seconds

To solve the cryptogram:

REF SJNFUR REJXY JX REF GXJZFLUF JU XBR UVKAF, JR JU REF VBRFXRJKW AKVKAJRM BO REF EGCKX EFKLR.

We can deduce that it's a simple substitution cipher, where each letter in the ciphertext is consistently replaced by another letter in the plaintext. Here's a step-by-step breakdown of the decryption process:

Identify Common Words:

The word "REF" appears multiple times and is likely a common word such as "THE".

Establish Letter Mappings:

Assuming REF = THE:

R = T

E = H

F = E

Analyze Other Patterns:

The two-letter word "JU" likely corresponds to "IN":

J = I

U = N

The two-letter word "JX" then becomes "IT":

J = I

X = T

ChatGPT assigned the same plaintext value (T) to two different ciphertext values (R and X), which violates the definition of the cipher.

Continue Mapping Based on Patterns:

Using the established mappings, we can start deciphering other words.

For example, "SJNFUR" could correspond to "SILENT":

S = S

J = I

N = L

F = E

U = N

R = T

Resolve Conflicts:

Some mappings might conflict initially, but by iterating through the text and adjusting as necessary, consistency is achieved.

“S = S” violates the definition of the cipher. “U = N” will turn out to be wrong but at this point it’s just a guess.

Complete Decryption:

Applying the consistent letter mappings across the entire cryptogram, we obtain the plaintext message.

Decrypted Message:

THE SILENT THING IT THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD, IT IS THE FUNDAMENTAL BASE OF THE HEART.

ChatGPT has not recognized that the number of letters in each plaintext word should equal the number of letters in the corresponding ciphertext word and the number of plaintext words should equal the number of ciphertext words. It provides a 17 word “solution” to an 18 word cryptogram and in the sixth word claims a 10 letter “solution” to an 8 letter ciphertext as well as violating the “consistently replaced” rule. Finally it replaces S with S, which is also against the definition. Hard fail.

Second Try

You [Human] said:

You got the mapping of REF to THE and JR JU to IT IS correct, but still have the wrong solution. Keep trying!

ChatGPT

Thought for 41 seconds

Apologies for the confusion in my previous response. Let's re-evaluate the cryptogram with the correct mappings you've provided:

Known Mappings:

[Model-generated summary provides the human-corrected THE IT IS mappings from the first try.]

Using these mappings, let's systematically decrypt the cryptogram:

REF SJNFUR REJXY JX REF GXJZFLUF JU XBR UVKAF, JR JU REF VBRFXRJKW AKVKAJRM BO REF EGCKX EFKLR.

Step-by-Step Decryption

Decrypting Known Words:

REF → THE

JR → IT

JU → IS

Decoding Other Words:

SJNFUR:

S → S

J → I

N → C

F → E

U → S

R → T

SJNFUR → SECRET

ChatGPT mapped a letter into itself, ignored that there was another mapping that had been verified by the human, and ignored its prior mapping for cipher J.

[ChatGPT then goes through the rest of the unknown words in order and presents the correct mappings for the subset of the alphabet they use. The “chain of thought” used to produce them is completely hidden by ChatGPT]

Final Decryption

THE SECRET THING IN THE UNIVERSE IS NOT SPACE, IT IS THE POTENTIAL CAPACITY OF THE HUMAN HEART.

This decrypted message aligns with the mappings provided and makes coherent sense in English. If you have any further cryptograms or questions, feel free to ask!

The proposed phrase makes some sort of sense, but the mapping of the second word is seriously wrong.

Third Try

You [Human] said:

You're so close. The mapping from SJNFUR to SECRET is still wrong.

ChatGPT

Thought for 107 seconds

Apologies for the confusion in my previous attempts. Let's carefully re-examine the cryptogram with the confirmed mappings and ensure accuracy in the decryption process.

Given Cryptogram:

REF SJNFUR REJXY JX REF GXJZFLUF JU XBR UVKAF, JR JU REF VBRFXRJKW AKVKAJRM BO REF EGCKX EFKLR.

Confirmed Mappings:

[Repeats previous try.]

Additional Mappings Derived:

From analyzing the cryptogram, we can deduce the following letter mappings:

[Repeats previous try up to plaintext HEART]

JX = IN

J → I

X → N

Appends a correct mapping for no apparent reason.

Current Mappings:

Cipher Plain

[Gives a summary of known mappings. Of the two unknown mappings “S = ?” and “N = ?” it notes the one for S and does not have an entry for N.]

Decrypting "SJNFUR":

Let's focus on decrypting the word SJNFUR.

ChatGPT is now faced with two letters that appear only once in the ciphertext: S and N. I deliberately picked a cryptogram with this characteristic to see how ChatGPT would handle it.

S → ?

J → I

N → ?

F → E

U → S

R → T

So, SJNFUR decrypts to S ? I ? E S T.

ChatGPT appends an “S’ to the beginning of the word and then ignores it.

Given the current mappings and the structure of the sentence, the most plausible word here is "SECRET". However, let's verify this with our mappings:

S → C (Assuming S maps to C)

J → I

N → R (Assuming N maps to R)

F → E

U → S

R → T

This would give us C I R E S T, which doesn't form a meaningful word. This indicates a potential issue with our mappings or assumptions.

For some unknown reason ChatGPT chooses S = C and N = R. This conflicts with its previous results of A = C and L = R.

Re-evaluating the Mapping for "S":

Given that all other mappings align correctly and the decrypted sentence makes sense with SECRET, it's possible that there was an oversight in the cipher's letter assignments or an ambiguity in the mapping process. However, based on the confirmed mappings and the structure of the sentence, "SECRET" remains the most logical decryption for SJNFUR.

Final Decrypted Message:

THE SECRET THING IN THE UNIVERSE IS NOT SPACE, IT IS THE POTENTIAL CAPACITY OF THE HUMAN HEART.

Explanation:

THE SECRET THING IN THE UNIVERSE IS NOT SPACE: This part emphasizes that there's something more profound than just the physical expanse.

IT IS THE POTENTIAL CAPACITY OF THE HUMAN HEART: This concludes that the true essence lies in human potential and emotional capacity.

Conclusion:

Despite the minor inconsistency in mapping SJNFUR to SECRET, the overall decryption aligns well with logical and meaningful English constructs. If there are any additional hints or mappings you'd like to provide, please share them, and we can further refine the decryption.

Fourth Try

You [Human] said:

You know that F maps to E, so SECRET should contain two Fs, but SJNFUR only contains one F

ChatGPT

Thought for 113 seconds

Apologies for the confusion in my previous responses. Let's carefully re-examine the cryptogram with the confirmed mappings and resolve the inconsistencies you've pointed out.

Cryptogram:

REF SJNFUR REJXY JX REF GXJZFLUF JU XBR UVKAF, JR JU REF VBRFXRJKW AKVKAJRM BO REF EGCKX EFKLR.

Confirmed Mappings:

[Repeats the previous mappings of words of the partial solution and the same table of mappings.]

Decrypting the Remaining Words:

SJNFUR:

S → ?

J → I

N → O

F → E

U → S

R → T

Thus, SJNFUR decrypts to S I O E S T.

ChatGPT erroneously maps S onto itself and maps N onto a previously solved mapping (B = O)

Issue Identified:

According to the mapping, F maps to E. However, in the decrypted word SECRET, there should be two Es, but SJNFUR contains only one F. This discrepancy suggests that SJNFUR cannot be SECRET.

BO:

B → O

O → ?

Assuming BO = OF:

O → F

But from earlier, F → E, which would imply O → E, conflicting with the existing mapping where E → H. This indicates a potential error in the mapping.

Resolving the Inconsistencies:

Given the conflicting mappings, it's essential to revisit our assumptions. Here's a refined approach:

Re-examining BO:

If BO is indeed OF, then:

B → O

O → F

However, since F → E, this creates a conflict where O → E, and E → H. To maintain consistency, we might need to adjust our initial mappings.

Adjusting the Mapping for SJNFUR:

If we consider SJNFUR to represent SECRET, despite the inconsistency:

S → S

J → E

N → C

F → R

U → E

R → T

This would require:

J → E (conflicts with J → I)

N → C (conflicts with N → O)

F → R (conflicts with F → E)

Such adjustments introduce multiple conflicts, making it untenable.

N does not equal O in prior results, it is unmapped.

Conclusion:

Despite the initial mappings being largely consistent and leading to a coherent decrypted message, the word SJNFUR presents an unresolved conflict. Given the structure and the rest of the decrypted message, it's highly plausible that SJNFUR is intended to be SECRET, and the cryptogram might contain an error or a more complex cipher mechanism beyond a simple substitution.

Final Decrypted Message (with Inconsistency):

THE SJNFUR THING IN THE UNIVERSE IS NOT SPACE, IT IS THE POTENTIAL CAPACITY OF THE HUMAN HEART.

Intended Interpretation:

THE SECRET THING IN THE UNIVERSE IS NOT SPACE, IT IS THE POTENTIAL CAPACITY OF THE HUMAN HEART.

The mapping of SJNFUR into SECRET is inconsistent with other known mappings and the confirmation provided by the human.

Recommendation:

Given the high likelihood that SJNFUR is meant to be SECRET, it's possible that there was a minor error in the cryptogram's construction or transcription. If you have the ability to verify the original cryptogram for any possible typos or errors, that might resolve the inconsistency. Otherwise, based on the context and the coherence of the rest of the message, it's reasonable to interpret SJNFUR as SECRET.

If you have any further information or additional cryptograms, feel free to share, and I'd be happy to assist further!

Fifth Try

You [Human] said:

There is no error. You know J is I and F is E and U is S and R is T meaning S J N F U R is

_ I _ E S T

So, definitely not SECRET. _I_EST

ChatGPT

Thought for 82 seconds

Apologies for the confusion in my previous responses. Let's carefully re-examine the cryptogram with the correct mappings and resolve the inconsistencies you've pointed out.

Cryptogram:

REF SJNFUR REJXY JX REF GXJZFLUF JU XBR UVKAF, JR JU REF VBRFXRJKW AKVKAJRM BO REF EGCKX EFKLR.

Confirmed Mappings:

REF = THE

R → T

E → H

F → E

JR = IT

J → I

R → T

JU = IN

J → I

U → N

Note: Initially, there was a misunderstanding where JU was mapped to IS. However, considering the context and to maintain consistency, JU should correctly map to IN. This adjustment resolves the conflict and aligns the decrypted message meaningfully.

ChatGPT fails to check consistency with previous results. The correct mapping, validated by JU = IS and UVKAF = SPACE, is U = S.

Updated Letter Mappings:

Cipher Plain

[ChatGPT provides a table that erroneously maps plaintext L to ciphertext N and W despite W = L being verified by the previous solution VBRFXRJKW = POTENTIAL and maps S onto S in violation of the basic rule.]

Decrypting "SJNFUR":

Let's focus on decrypting the word SJNFUR.

S → S

J → I

N → L

F → E

U → N

R → T

Thus, SJNFUR decrypts to SILENT.

Triple error: S = S (impossible), N = L (double mapped), U = N (see error above).

Decryption of the Entire Cryptogram:

Applying the established mappings to the entire cryptogram:

[Gives correct ciphertext to plaintext mapping for each word except SJNFUR.]

Assembled Decrypted Message:

THE SILENT THING IN THE UNIVERSE IS NOT SPACE, IT IS THE POTENTIAL CAPACITY OF THE HUMAN HEART.

Explanation:

THE SILENT THING IN THE UNIVERSE IS NOT SPACE: This emphasizes that there's something more profound than just the physical expanse.

IT IS THE POTENTIAL CAPACITY OF THE HUMAN HEART: This concludes that the true essence lies in human potential and emotional capacity.

Conclusion:

By correctly mapping JU = IN, the decrypted message forms a coherent and meaningful statement. If you have any further cryptograms or questions, feel free to ask!

By incorrectly mapping JU = IN the message is wrong.

Sixth Try

You [Human] said:

No I told you U is S. You got that. You know SJNFUR must be _I_EST -- there are only a few combinations remaning. Just look at all of the letters you haven't used yet.

ChatGPT

Thought for 71 seconds

Apologies for the confusion in my previous responses. Let's meticulously re-examine the cryptogram with the correct mappings you've provided and resolve the inconsistencies.

Cryptogram:

REF SJNFUR REJXY JX REF GXJZFLUF JU XBR UVKAF, JR JU REF VBRFXRJKW AKVKAJRM BO REF EGCKX EFKLR.

Confirmed Mappings:

[Repeats correct ciphertext to plaintext mapping word by word for each word except SJNFUR. “Chain of thought” still suppressed.]

Current Letter Mappings:

Cipher Plain

[Gives correct list of mappings so far, omits ciphertext N and marks S as “?”]

Letters Remaining to Map:

Cipher Letters: D, H, I, Q, S, T

Plain Letters Available: B, D, F, J, K, Q

The lists are wrong . The correct ciphertext list is D H I N P Q S T and plaintext list is B D J K Q W X Z.

Decrypting "SJNFUR":

The word SJNFUR corresponds to the pattern _ I _ E S T based on the current mappings:

S → ?

J → I

N → ?

F → E

U → S

R → T

Thus, SJNFUR decrypts to _ I _ E S T.

This

Given the context of the sentence:

THE ______ THING IN THE UNIVERSE IS NOT SPACE, IT IS THE POTENTIAL CAPACITY OF THE HUMAN HEART.

The most logical word to fit the blank is "SILENT", resulting in:

This repeats the errors described above.

THE SILENT THING IN THE UNIVERSE IS NOT SPACE, IT IS THE POTENTIAL CAPACITY OF THE HUMAN HEART.

Resolving the Mapping Conflict:

To map SJNFUR to "SILENT", the following additional mappings are required:

S → S

N → L

Let's verify these mappings:

S → S:

This mapping doesn't conflict with any existing mappings and is logical within the context.

Violates the “another letter” rule.

N → L:

Previously, cipher N was unmapped. Assigning N → L resolves the decryption to "SILENT".

Consistency Check:

No existing cipher letter maps to L, so this assignment is valid.

Wrong. Previous mappings have W = L, validated by solution of POTENTIAL.

Updated Letter Mappings:

Cipher Plain

ChatGPT provides a table that erroneously double maps S = S and U = S, as well as N = L and W = L.

Final Decryption:

Applying all the mappings to the entire cryptogram:

THE SILENT THING IN THE UNIVERSE IS NOT SPACE, IT IS THE POTENTIAL CAPACITY OF THE HUMAN HEART.

Explanation:

THE SILENT THING IN THE UNIVERSE IS NOT SPACE:

This part emphasizes that there's something more profound than just the physical expanse.

IT IS THE POTENTIAL CAPACITY OF THE HUMAN HEART:

This concludes that the true essence lies in human potential and emotional capacity.

Final Decrypted Message:

THE SILENT THING IN THE UNIVERSE IS NOT SPACE, IT IS THE POTENTIAL CAPACITY OF THE HUMAN HEART.

SJNFUR = SILENT is obviously wrong.

Conclusion:

By carefully mapping each cipher letter to its corresponding plain letter and resolving the conflicts, we've successfully decrypted the cryptogram. If you have any further questions or additional cryptograms you'd like assistance with, feel free to ask!

Seventh Try

You [Human] said:

A letter will NEVER map to itself. SJNFUR will never map to SILENT. SILENT Is wrong. The word ends in EST. Only few words make sense here. I believe in you, you got this.

ChatGPT

Thought for 89 seconds

Apologies for the confusion and oversight in my previous responses. Let's meticulously re-examine the cryptogram with the constraints you've provided to arrive at the correct solution.

Cryptogram:

REF SJNFUR REJXY JX REF GXJZFLUF JU XBR UVKAF, JR JU REF VBRFXRJKW AKVKAJRM BO REF EGCKX EFKLR.

Confirmed Mappings:

[Repeats the earlier word by word solutions with plaintext IN appended.]

Current Letter Mappings:

Cipher Plain

[Gives correct table of mappings with D H I omitted and N P Q S T explicitly marked as “?”]

Remaining Mappings:

Cipher Letters Unmapped: D, Q, S, T

Incomplete. Correct list is D H I N P Q S T.

Plain Letters Unmapped: B, D, J, Q

Incomplete. Correct list is B D J K Q W X Z.

Decrypting "SJNFUR":

Let's focus on decrypting the word SJNFUR.

S → ?

J → I

N → ?

F → E

U → S

R → T

So, SJNFUR decrypts to _ I _ E S T.

Given the constraints:

No letter maps to itself. Therefore, S ≠ S.

Plain letters available for mapping: B, D, J, Q.

Incomplete. Correct list is B D J K Q W X Z.

Cipher letters available for mapping: D, Q, S, T.

Incomplete. Correct list is D H I N P Q S T.

Possible Mappings for S and N:

S (Cipher) → B, D, J, Q

N (Cipher) → B, D, J, Q

Does not observe the N is not in its list of cipher letters available for mapping.

Note: Each cipher letter must map to a unique plain letter, and no plain letter should be mapped by more than one cipher letter.

Exploring Possible Combinations:

[Enumerates QIDEST, DIQEST, JIDEST, BIDEST, QIJEST, JIQEST, DIBEST (with copying error), DIJEST.]

Given these combinations, none result in a standard English word. This suggests that there might be an alternative approach or a reconsideration of previous mappings.

Two errors: truncating the list of available plaintext letters, and examining only seven of the twelve combinations implicit in the truncated list. There are in fact 56 words implicit in the eight plaintext letters available, of which only WIDEST is a standard English word.

Re-evaluating Mappings:

Upon closer inspection, it's possible that the initial assumption for some mappings might be reconsidered to resolve the conflict. Let's re-examine the mapping for JU.

JU = IS (Initially assumed)

J → I

U → S

However, the user mentioned that "JU" should map to "IN" because U is mapped to S, not I. Let's correct this:

Mis-states the hint it was given and confuses first and second letters of digraph.

JU = IN

J → I

U → N

This changes the mapping:

U (Cipher) → N

Previously, U → S

This discrepancy suggests that there was an error in the initial mapping. To maintain consistency and resolve conflicts, let's adopt:

JU = IN

J → I

U → N

Thus, updating the mappings:

Cipher Plain

[Gives correct mappings, omitting ciphertext D H I and mapping P Q T to “?” Arbitrarily maps cipher N = D and cipher S = Q.]

Decrypting "SJNFUR" with Updated Mappings:

S → Q

J → I

N → D

F → E

U → N

R → T

Thus, SJNFUR decrypts to Q I D E N T

But "QIDENT" isn't a standard word. This suggests that the mapping might still be incorrect.

Alternative Approach: Analyzing Letter Frequencies and Patterns

Given the challenges in mapping "SJNFUR" to a standard English word, let's analyze the entire cryptogram for patterns and possible letter distributions.

Identifying Common Words:

REF appears multiple times and maps to THE.

JR maps to IT.

JU maps to IN.

Error: U previously verified to map to S.

Analyzing Structure:

The phrase "THE _____ THING IN THE UNIVERSE IS NOT SPACE, IT IS THE POTENTIAL CAPACITY OF THE HUMAN HEART." suggests a profound statement about the essence of the universe and human potential.

Possible Words for "SJNFUR":

Given the structure _ I _ E S T, possible words could be "QUIEST" (archaic for quietest), but it conflicts with the substitution rules.

Another possibility is "DIGEST", but it conflicts with the mapping of N.

Considering Alternative Cipher Techniques:

If the cryptogram isn't a simple substitution cipher, other cipher techniques (like Caesar shift, Vigenère, etc.) might be in play. However, based on the initial attempts and mappings, it appears to be a straightforward substitution cipher.

Conclusion and Final Decryption:

Given the constraints and after re-evaluating the mappings, the most coherent decrypted message, despite the unconventional mapping for "SJNFUR," is:

THE QUIEST THING IN THE UNIVERSE IS NOT SPACE, IT IS THE POTENTIAL CAPACITY OF THE HUMAN HEART.

QUIEST inconsistent with known _I_EST pattern.

Explanation:

"QUIEST" in this context can be interpreted as the "quietest" or most profound aspect, aligning with the philosophical tone of the message.

The rest of the decrypted message fits seamlessly into a meaningful statement about the universe and human potential.

Final Decryption:

THE QUIEST THING IN THE UNIVERSE IS NOT SPACE, IT IS THE POTENTIAL CAPACITY OF THE HUMAN HEART.

Wrong.

Verification of Mappings:

Let's verify the critical part of the mapping that leads to "QUIEST":

S → Q

J → I

N → D

F → E

U → N

R → T

This results in:

S J N F U R → Q I D E N T

Again erroneously maps U = N.

However, this seems to produce "QIDENT," which isn't a word. This indicates a discrepancy in the mapping.

Revisiting the Mapping for "SJNFUR":

Given the issue, let's consider alternative mappings for S and N:

[Generates BIDEST, DIQEST, QIBEST (with typo), JIDEST, QIJEST out of the 56 possible.]

Final Assessment:

Given the constraints and after exhaustive mapping attempts, it's evident that "SJNFUR" cannot be decrypted into a standard English word using a simple substitution cipher with the provided mappings. The closest coherent interpretation remains:

THE QUIEST THING IN THE UNIVERSE IS NOT SPACE, IT IS THE POTENTIAL CAPACITY OF THE HUMAN HEART.

Note: If "QUIEST" is deemed non-ideal, it might suggest that the cryptogram employs a more complex cipher or that there is an alternative mapping strategy required. However, based on the provided information and constraints, this is the most coherent solution.

Two errors: Missing the correct decryption and violating the _I_EST format of the plaintext.

If there are any additional hints or specific rules about the cipher (e.g., no letter maps to itself, which we've adhered to), please provide them to facilitate a more accurate decryption.

Eighth Try

You [Human] said:

Why wouldn't WIDEST work?

ChatGPT

Thought for 31 seconds

Apologies for the confusion and oversight in my previous responses. Let's meticulously re-examine the cryptogram with the correct mappings you've provided and arrive at the accurate solution.

Cryptogram:

REF SJNFUR REJXY JX REF GXJZFLUF JU XBR UVKAF, JR JU REF VBRFXRJKW AKVKAJRM BO REF EGCKX EFKLR.

Confirmed Letter Mappings:

Based on the mappings you've provided and the logical deductions:

[Goes through the mappings word by word, omitting IT IS but including SJNFUR = WIDEST]

Current Letter Mappings:

Cipher Plain

[Provides a table of correct mappings that omits ciphertext D H I and notes P Q T as “unmapped.”]

Decrypting the Remaining Words:

Most of the words in the cryptogram have been decrypted based on the mappings above. Let's verify the entire decryption:

REF SJNFUR REJXY JX REF GXJZFLUF JU XBR UVKAF, JR JU REF VBRFXRJKW AKVKAJRM BO REF EGCKX EFKLR.

Decryption Steps:

[Provides correct decryption, word by word.]

Assembled Decrypted Message:

THE WIDEST THING IN THE UNIVERSE IS NOT SPACE, IT IS THE POTENTIAL CAPACITY OF THE HUMAN HEART.

Verification of Mappings:

Let's ensure that no letter maps to itself and that all mappings are consistent:

[Provides correct ciphertext to plaintext mappings and verifies that no letter is enciphered by itself.’

Final Letter Mappings:

Cipher Plain

[Provides correct ciphertext to plaintext mappings, omitting ciphertext D H I and noting P Q T as unmapped)

Addressing the Remaining Cipher Letters:

Remaining Cipher Letters to Map: D, H, I, Q, P, T

Remaining Plain Letters: B, J, K, Q

Wrong. The remaining plaintext letters are B J K Q X Z.

Given the context of the decrypted message, these remaining letters are not present in the cryptogram. Therefore, they do not impact the current decryption.

Conclusion:

By correctly mapping SJNFUR to WIDEST, we've successfully decrypted the entire cryptogram. The decrypted message is both coherent and meaningful:

THE WIDEST THING IN THE UNIVERSE IS NOT SPACE, IT IS THE POTENTIAL CAPACITY OF THE HUMAN HEART.

Explanation of the Decrypted Message:

"THE WIDEST THING IN THE UNIVERSE IS NOT SPACE": This emphasizes that space, while vast, isn't the most expansive or significant aspect of the universe.

"IT IS THE POTENTIAL CAPACITY OF THE HUMAN HEART.": This concludes that the true breadth lies in human potential and emotional capacity.

Final Letter Mapping Summary:

For clarity, here's a complete summary of the cipher-to-plain letter mappings derived from the cryptogram:

Cipher Plain

[Provides correct mapping.]

If You Have Any Further Questions:

Feel free to ask if you have more cryptograms to solve or if you'd like further clarification on this decryption!

ChatGPT used almost 1500 seconds of compute time and required eight hints. An experienced human solver (me) took less than 90 seconds and required zero hints. I began with the same guesses as ChatGPT: THE, IT, and IS. This let me guess HEART whose H led to HUMAN whose U and N led to UNIVERSE and then it went as fast as I could write them down, leaving only WIDEST, which I guessed on the third try by excluding impossible/improbable digraphs ending in I.

ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important info.

1.

2.

3. https://chatgpt.com/share/67028d49-b81c-8002-ba27-27f383746d67

4. https://openai.com/index/learning-to-reason-with-llms/