Monday, December 30, 2019

Yes or No


Been reading a review copy of a wonderful new book (due out in March) by Matt Cook from MIT Press, entitled “Sleight of Mind,” all about one of my favorite topics… paradoxes. It’s chockfull of them, and I’ll do a fuller review closer to the publication date, but will entice you with just a few fun, simple one-sentence logic puzzles (variations of the “liar paradox”) that appear near the start of one section of the volume:
“Answer truthfully, yes or no: Is ‘no’ the correct answer to this question?" 
“Now answer this one truthfully: Is ‘yes’ the correct answer to this question?” 
“What about, ‘Does this question have an answer?”
…and I’ll leave you to contemplate these on your own. 
(but essentially, for one of them neither answer works, for one of them both answers work, and for one of them only one answer fits).


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