Friday, November 8th, 2013
Liar's Paradox. Consider the following sentence: "This sentence is false."
Is this sentence true or false? Explain your reasoning.
The answer to this question depends on the aspect of the statement that we are observing. The content of the statememt itself is false, because the individual involves makes the statement that the sentence is, well, false. The sentence is false under the perspective of the veracity of the content of the statement itself, the subject in question. On the other hand, the sentence is true in the claim that it makes. The claim made in the sentence is false, therefore the categorization of the sentence itself as "false" makes the overall sentence true. The ultimate point made in the sentence (its purpose being to reveal that the claim made in the sentence is false) makes the sentence true in the long-run, the holistic view.
Mm, maybe I'm answering in this vague way because I want to avoid the long, intertwined reasoning that this can initiate. The thing is, this question is relying on a paradox, and the purpose of a paradox is to put two contradictory statements together in order to initiate long strings of thought. These kinds of sentences, these paradoxes, oftentimes (I could almost say always) in starting heated discussions that have "logic" as their topic but that have illogical arguments made here and there and all over the place. Well, as it is the case for all paradoxes, the above statement has a supporting evidence, a little bit of truth, from both opposite and contradictory aspects it is presented. Depending on how we look and interpret it, the sentence may be seen as true or false
In the end, I guess that what I can say is that this sentence is both true or false. It is both true or false, but not simulateneously, at different times or, that is, under different perspectives and conditions. The main characteristic of paradox: In the end, the answer is fairly simply, and both aspects presented have a little bit of truth, but they always make us want to argue. Why? Because we do not like the uncertainty raised by contradictory statements that are not accepted as "logically correct" by our minds.
Mm, maybe I'm answering in this vague way because I want to avoid the long, intertwined reasoning that this can initiate. The thing is, this question is relying on a paradox, and the purpose of a paradox is to put two contradictory statements together in order to initiate long strings of thought. These kinds of sentences, these paradoxes, oftentimes (I could almost say always) in starting heated discussions that have "logic" as their topic but that have illogical arguments made here and there and all over the place. Well, as it is the case for all paradoxes, the above statement has a supporting evidence, a little bit of truth, from both opposite and contradictory aspects it is presented. Depending on how we look and interpret it, the sentence may be seen as true or false
In the end, I guess that what I can say is that this sentence is both true or false. It is both true or false, but not simulateneously, at different times or, that is, under different perspectives and conditions. The main characteristic of paradox: In the end, the answer is fairly simply, and both aspects presented have a little bit of truth, but they always make us want to argue. Why? Because we do not like the uncertainty raised by contradictory statements that are not accepted as "logically correct" by our minds.
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