[Cogito, Ergo Sum] is often translated to ‘I think, therefore I am’.
This ties in neatly to the theming of the game, for reasons I’ll elaborate upon later.
Cogito, Ergo Sum. The foundation of Western Philosophy. It is the building blocks of solipsism, proof that even if nothing else can be proven, we can prove our own thoughts are real.
Only your own mind can be proven to exist, because anything outside that is subject to flawed human perception.
In Cat in the Box, the perception of anything outside the house is subject to human perception. The Girl attempts to escape the house, only to fall to her death, oblivious to her own doom.
This would mean that the house is symbolic of the girl’s mind.
We can then surmise that only the contents of our ‘box’ are confirmed to be true. So then, where is the ‘mind’ perceiving this box?
Let’s tie this back into the main theme of the game.
Schrödinger’s Cat is a paradox and thought experiment originally proposed in quantum mechanics. I am not going too deep into actual quantum mechanics, I’ll just use a layman’s knowledge of it for this.
We have a cat, and for whatever cruel reason we lock them in a box. Inside this box with the cat is a flask of poison, a Geiger Counter, and a radioactive source.
If the Geiger Counter detects any radioactivity (ie, an atom of our radioactive source decaying), then it will break the flask of poison, killing the poor cat.
Before we open the box, we do not know what state the cat is in. Thus, it can be considered to have a quantum state, one which is both alive and dead simultaneously.
After opening the box, the cat’s fate is sealed. It is either alive or dead.
When is this fate chosen?
There are many, many theories regarding this.
This would imply that until the girl leaves the house, her fate is undecided.
2. Upon observing the contents of the box, it will branch out into two options.
This would imply that each version of the Girl in the house is one of the timelines, which have all been compressed into the house, as per one of notes in the game (Past, present, future - everything becomes one with the almighty. You are the universe and the universe is you.).
3. When a conscious mind perceives the contents of the box.
This would mean that the conscious mind is either within the box (The Girl) or outside the box (The Player).
I personally believe in a combination of the 2nd and 3rd theories, in regards to Cat in the Box.
If we go back to that line earlier, we can unpack a lot!
Past, present, future - everything becomes one with the almighty. You are the universe and the universe is you.
Everything becomes one. All fates of the cat are combined. All fates live in the house simultaneously.
You are the universe, and the universe is you. You are observing each fate. From the moment this observation began, from the moment you entered the house, the Girl’s fate is sealed.
I’ll leave you with one thing — If all fates are one in the house, what happens when you leave the box?
