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Paradoxes
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Abhishek Makkar
Greenhorn
Joined: Aug 11, 2006
Posts: 22
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Lets discuss the paradoxes we know, let me start with the one i like the most:
I am lying.
-Abhishek
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I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance. -Socrates
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Peter van de Riet
Ranch Hand
Joined: Apr 09, 2004
Posts: 112
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My personal favorite is Bertrand's paradox. Whenever somebody is talking about random, I ask him/her about this one. This leads always to some nice discussions, which I like.
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Each number system has exactly 10 different digits.
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fred rosenberger
lowercase baba
Bartender
Joined: Oct 02, 2003
Posts: 10032
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I like the one where Ben Casey meets James Kildare.
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Never ascribe to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.
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Stan James
(instanceof Sidekick)
Ranch Hand
Joined: Jan 29, 2003
Posts: 8791
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Much of the math in Goedel, Escher & Bach went over my head or has since leaked out, but I think I remember that Goedel's contribution was to prove you can write "this is false" in any sufficiently expressive language, which shattered the hope of any complete and perfect number system. Does that sound right?
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A good question is never answered. It is not a bolt to be tightened into place but a seed to be planted and to bear more seed toward the hope of greening the landscape of the idea. John Ciardi
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fred rosenberger
lowercase baba
Bartender
Joined: Oct 02, 2003
Posts: 10032
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hmmm... i seem to recall something about any language will allow a paradox. you need a 'superset' (my term) language, or a meta-language to resolve them.
but that higher level one will then have paradoxes, so you need a meta-meta-language, and so on.
i think...
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Dave Lenton
Ranch Hand
Joined: Jan 20, 2005
Posts: 1241
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Originally posted by Fred Rosenberger:
hmmm... i seem to recall something about any language will allow a paradox. you need a 'superset' (my term) language, or a meta-language to resolve them.
I like it - it seems explaining the concept that new phrases are needed because the current ones are not sufficient required new phrases because the current ones are not sufficient. Recursion!
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There will be glitches in my transition from being a saloon bar sage to a world statesman. - Tony Banks
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subject: Paradoxes
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