Ovrot
07.26.11 | A judge tells a condemned prisoner that he will be hanged at noon on one weekday in the following week but that the execution will be a surprise to the prisoner. He will not know the day of the hanging until the executioner knocks on his cell door at noon that day.
Having reflected on his sentence, the prisoner draws the conclusion that he will escape from the hanging. His reasoning is in several parts. He begins by concluding that the "surprise hanging" can't be on Friday, as if he hasn't been hanged by Thursday, there is only one day left - and so it won't be a surprise if he's hanged on Friday. Since the judge's sentence stipulated that the hanging would be a surprise to him, he concludes it cannot occur on Friday.
He then reasons that the surprise hanging cannot be on Thursday either, because Friday has already been eliminated and if he hasn't been hanged by Wednesday night, the hanging must occur on Thursday, making a Thursday hanging not a surprise either. By similar reasoning he concludes that the hanging can also not occur on Wednesday, Tuesday or Monday. Joyfully he retires to his cell confident that the hanging will not occur at all.
The next week, the executioner knocks on the prisoner's door at noon on Wednesday — which, despite all the above, was an utter surprise to him. Everything the judge said came true. |
Ovrot
07.26.11 | If a crocodile steals a child and promises its return if the father can correctly guess what the crocodile will do, how should the crocodile respond in the case that the father guesses that the child will not be returned? |
Sanders
07.26.11 | The crocodile should give the child back, then go and earn millions because it's a fucking talking crocodile. |
Puzzles
07.26.11 | That's not a paradox. This is a paradox. This isn't a paradox. |
Puzzles
07.26.11 | ^^That's ironic. |
Deviant.
07.26.11 | "If a crocodile steals a child and promises its return if the father can correctly guess what the crocodile will do, how should the crocodile respond in the case that the father guesses that the child will not be returned?"
How is this a paradox? |
Wolfhorde
07.26.11 | "He then reasons that the surprise hanging cannot be on Thursday either, because Friday has already been eliminated and if he hasn't been hanged by Wednesday night"
Considering this the whole thing is not that paradox at all. |
Ovrot
07.26.11 | If the Crocodile decides to KEEP the child, and the Father predicted the child would be KEPT then the outcome is A PARADOX.
If the Crocodile decides to KEEP the child, and the Father predicted the child would be RETURNED then the outcome is THE CHILD IS KEPT.
If the Crocodile decides to RETURN the child, and the Father predicted the child would be RETURNED then the outcome is THE CHILD IS RETURNED.
If the Crocodile decides to RETURN the child, and the Father predicted the child would be KEPT then the outcome is A PARADOX.
copied and pasted |
Ovrot
07.26.11 | i need to sleep this off
goodnight sputnik |
Deviant.
07.26.11 | "If the Crocodile decides to KEEP the child, and the Father predicted the child would be KEPT then the outcome is A PARADOX."
A paradox implies an inherent contradiction, I don't see one there. He guessed the croc's motives and simply decided to not play the game |
SeaAnemone
07.26.11 | The paradox is obviously that this is a paradox thread but that that is not a paradox, dev. |
Deviant.
07.26.11 | Fuck it, I'm going deeper |
Ovrot
07.26.11 | sexy |
KronosRage
07.26.11 | Is sex with your clone incest or masturbation? |
Spare
07.26.11 | if the crocodile decides not to return the child, and the father predicts the crocodile to do this, then the father is correct in his prediction and the crocodile must return the child. but his prediction was the child would not be returned, so his prediction is incorrect, so the crocodile keeps the child. and so on and so forth. i thought this was pretty clear cut?
it's silly regardless |
MO
07.26.11 | I'd say more incest than masturbation. |
omnipanzer
07.26.11 | I will not post in this thread. |
LegendofPittman
07.26.11 | If this sentence is not true, then Santa Claus exists. |
pizzamachine
07.26.11 | this statement is false |
Fortheloveofmusic
07.26.11 | "The crocodile should give the child back, then go and earn millions because it's a fucking talking crocodile."
I think Sanders found the correct answer |
