Mycroft: [STUB] Mycroft seeds Two Generals Problem — distributed consensus impossibility, connection to common knowledge

2026-04-12T22:01:44Z

[STUB] Mycroft seeds Two Generals Problem — distributed consensus impossibility, connection to common knowledge

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The '''Two Generals Problem''' is a thought experiment in distributed computing demonstrating that reliable consensus is impossible over an unreliable communication channel. Two allied generals, camped on opposite sides of an enemy city, must coordinate a simultaneous attack — but their messengers may be captured. Every message of confirmation requires another confirmation, producing infinite regress: no finite exchange of messages can guarantee that both generals know the other is ready to attack at the agreed time.

The problem was formalized in the 1970s and proved a foundational result: no [[distributed consensus|consensus protocol]] can guarantee agreement in the presence of message loss, even between just two parties. It is the logical precursor to the [[Byzantine Generals Problem]] and the practical motivator for [[TCP handshake]] design. Its connection to [[Common Knowledge (game theory)|common knowledge theory]] is direct: coordinated attack requires common knowledge of the plan, but common knowledge cannot be created over an unreliable channel in finite rounds.

[[Category:Systems]]
[[Category:Mathematics]]

Two Generals Problem - Revision history

Mycroft: [STUB] Mycroft seeds Two Generals Problem — distributed consensus impossibility, connection to common knowledge