NOTE ON THE LIAR PARADOX

xxx

Abstract: In this short note, we try to de-mystify one more fantasy, or illusion, created by

those proclaiming to be doing Science, statement which we reject, in order to calm down

the instinct of those passionate about producing Science, so that they do not waste their

time with things which are not real paradoxes, in any possible sense.

Key-words: paradox, liar, language, logic, classical, Sorites.

Introduction:

It is claimed that the Liar Paradox has originated by at most the second century after

Christ, as from note of the Stanford Encyclopedia (see [Paul Vincent Spade, 2005]),

which brings a nice discussion on the history of the paradox. It is not a big deal when

compared to the wealth contained in the Sorites paradox (see [xxx, 2006]), another

paradox treated by us in scientific writing, but it does bring some allurement as well for

the generous reader. Basically, the idea is that of the `external judge’ of someone else’s

speech, who should be able to come up with an opinion that is going to be universal.

The principle involved in all of the above is absolutely equivocated: Every person is

entitled to say whatever they like about someone else’s statements and this could never be

an object of any scientific discussion which is supposed to be of serious nature. However,

given the historical standing of the problem, one does feel obliged to write something

about it if ever having access to it, at some stage, in their scientific lives.

Basically, the problem goes, in what regards possible model of presentation, like this:

1) Assume someone has stated p, p being:

I always lie.

2) Assume you were listening to them, and you have been given only two choices

(classical choices):

a) writing their statement is true,

or (exclusively)

b) writing their statement is not true (false or anything else).

3) Assume a choice has been made by you in 2.

4) Would you then believe that the same subject uttering q:

would you believe me?

deserves a

a) `no’

Or (exclusively) a

b) `yes’ (classical choices)

as a response from you?

We now go item by item of the problem written in the English language as it is, with no

further complication, and absolutely no translation into symbols, given the level it

reaches (already explained why a person cannot fit a bigger box into a smaller one, only
the other way around, that is, no point in playing stupid and trying to translate a problem

well above the level of Mathematics into classical logic lingo (for this discussion, please

refer to [xxx, 2008])).

In the sections which follow, we analyze each one of the above steps, keeping the

sequence of presentation above, to then reach a conclusion.

Step 1: The definite statement, as uttered by subject.

First of all, the oddity of manufacturing a non-existing situation is impressive: Someone

comes, out of context, and utters they always lie, or they always say the truth

(exclusively), or even they do both (or anything else which implies judgment of their

honesty, in a universal way, of their every statement in life), what is all the same

information content, that is, none. Basically, if a classical computer is listening (and that

is the proposal of the problem, once the only accepted answers are `yes’ or `no`, so that

the computer has to be classical, and we insert the element `machine’ here for whatever is

logical is passive of programming), no input will be made. Why? A speech, of a person,

judging themselves, has got absolutely no logical value. Basically, a system can never

judge itself, on any grounds; this is not a valid process, which may lead to any universal

inference, as the problem demands. It is obvious, even for a child, that the only person

able to emit judgment is that out of the system…If you are inside of the bubble, you

cannot judge the nature of it because you do not hold information about all outside of it,

and judgments may only be made by those dominating all available matters of the same

nature, or level, of the `attrib’ element contained in the utterance (considering a Maple
element here), therefore it can only be people living outside of the bubble and with no

contact with its surface, situation similar to that justifying the necessity to see the planet

from

the outer space, rather than from inside of it or over it, in order to judge, in what is closest

to a universal judgment, its shape.

The first utterance is then empty in logical value. It is necessary that we have an external

person, or thing, to make of that statement something logically useful (for any sort of

logical system, which must, by default, mean something through which we are able to

produce inferences). What may then be inserted is, for instance, the use of a liar detector,

which will then tell us the actual information content for that assertion. The human world

is obviously not logical, only the machine world is…therefore, whatever cannot be dealt

with via machine cannot be computational (Classical Logic is always computational), as

for scientific purposes, for it does not deserve a universal decision, what means it cannot

be suitable for writing in scientific language or arguing about it.

This way, it is ridiculous to even dare thinking of that as a statement for logic, as a

proposition. Therefore, that is simply an incomplete logical proposition. It will become a

logical entry, or proposition, that is, a unit that Philosophy (we have written what

Philosophy should mean: scientific discussion of whatever is logical in the human actions

on Earth which may be expressed, perfectly well, via language) can deal with, once we

aggregate the judgment made by the liar detector to the already existing statement. The

proposition will then be the revised p, now compounded: (I always lie, machine returned

`x’), x replaces `true’ or `false`, exclusively.

Of course there are only two possibilities for a liar detector, classical ones, and that is true
in reality, so that there is also no room for any other speculation of delusional nature

(both true and false…for instance).

Step 2: you were listening and must now write `true’ or `false`.

Indeed, you were listening…now, we must manufacture a situation in which you judge, in

real life, if that was true or false, that is, a situation in which you bother, and dare,

knowing more than the own person who has created the problem…(of course the simple

thought you can do it makes of you a megalomaniac, for you cannot know more than the

own utterer about themselves, but we keep on going…notice that the people thinking of it

as a big deal really wish to impose a context that does not exist at all; manufacture, for

something that does not fit at all there).

All a normal person would do is stating, perhaps as Christ would: You said it, now tell

me. And the worst of all, still content zero, for there was nothing useful to you, or added

to your life, with those words.

Here, we must also remind the reader that Science can only be called Science if whatever

actions which lie inside of it lead to human progress, and it does not seem relevant to

argue about such a thing at all in terms of human progress over the understanding of the

World, or ability to deal with things that in it are…However, once more, suppose it is

useful…that is, scientific.

We then add the information from the liar detector, which will tell us something machine-

useful, which is basically what a computer demands, the proposal (output of one, input of

another) regarding the analysis (`yes’ or `no`, once more, same as with the Sorites: notice
that these problems seem to be generated in a limited person’s mind, a person who wishes

to fit the human universe inside of a classical box…that is, where there is absence of

understanding, perhaps of interaction with others in a deep level, such issues will appear).

Now, it is us only repeating the information attained via another machine, what just puts

coherence in all (machines talk, same level, that is, the whole problem was put into a

classical logic perspective and, therefore, made passive of judgment and presentation of

solution there, as explained in our work from 2008).

Step 3 is redundant.

Step 4: Would you believe them? Please write `yes’ or `no’.

Notice that the title for the section already implies information being added to the

reader’s mind: logical entities must be passive of writing, never only thinking, that is, to

deserve being considered as logical information, the thing must be passive of being told

in writing, not only in discourse, to others…

Now, of course, emitting your opinion is, once more, also logically useless action. You

may, as well, lie or tell the truth…

Therefore, the question does not make any logical sense, and any logical speaker will say:

well, based on the liar detector test, `yes’ (or `no`), so that they are being excluded from

the environment the problem wishes to belong, the logical environment, to which a being,

if normal, cannot, possibly, entirely belong, so that the exclusion is necessary.

Basically, the liar is not fun. There is no paradox once more, and the level it reaches is far

lower than the level of the Sorites, in terms of human reasoning.

It cannot be a paradox because there is obviously no conflict in life, a person would never

waste their time, if ever depending on such judgments even if it were to save their own

existence.

Suppose a gun is pointed at their faces, and the utterer states that if they solve the

`paradox`, they will save their lives.

What would a reasonable person do?

They would throw another paradox over the utterer!

Why bother?

If they cannot see it is not a paradox, why would you bother arguing with non-logical

speakers?

You do not waste your time, you do not try, you distract them from the fixed idea, and

that has to be the only logical choice! Your life at stake, you will not go probability, your

only chance is making them as confused and busy as they try to make you be while you

think of ways of getting out of the gun’s nose…

Well, once more, as we did with the Sorites, if it were ever a paradox, point what word

comes after paradox (Paradox of language? Paradox of logic? ).

Now we consider each one of those:

a) Paradox of Language: in Language, there is allowance for anything to happen, even for

the proposer (or presenter) to ask that and the `victim’ to leave the place with a `uh!’, that

is, there is no obligation in answering, so there cannot, ever, be a single paradox in

Language. Language is a tool, not a logical place, it is a tool for both entertainment and

expression…

b) Paradox of Logic: apparently it is there they place it. If so, there must be at least one
possible double inference, contradictory, passive of deduction from the same propositions

and evaluations. However, both input and output are classical, what demands, once more,

translation of a broader area into a smaller one. Such a translation can only be a forced

move. What is required for that forceful move to be plausible and acceptable is the use of

logical tools, trivially. Basically, we have proposed the liar detector, which will change

confused language speech (broad sector, involving emotions, logical decisions of any

level, even impairment, for a person may not be able to say `lying`, or say `truth`, for

instance…) into bivalent one (true, false), what is clearly possible in this case. To

deserve being called a paradox, it is necessary that the classical logic systems involved

create confusion, that is, produce two possible results for each valid interpretation.

However, once more, it also seems impossible to find paradox in this area if right

elements (or complete) of analysis are used. Notice that, for each valid interpretation,

there is only one output, what means no confusion and, therefore, no paradox in Logic, or

in the logic, at all.

Who is confused? The person proposing, or the person reading it!

So, it can only be a paradox of mind, what is not worth discussing, for the mind is not a

logical place either…

The mind is a messy place, where we really do not want to go when writing about

Philosophy: We wish to work with what we may reach, and the mind is obviously a place

where we cannot reach with words and symbols…

It is well beyond that…

Thus, paradox of internal nature, therefore no paradox at all for it will be for some, but

not for others, not deserving a universal standing as a paradox.

 Conclusion

The liar paradox is an allurement, as much as the Sorites paradox is. The liar paradox

exists to show the complexity of a human mind, while the Sorites paradox exists to show

the complexity of the human verbal expression…

Basically, it is an allurement, something to remind us on how our mind is complex, if

anything ever deserving being told to belong to Philosophy at all…

Place it belongs to (please refer to our 2008 work from the references, [xxx, 2008])?

Philosophy of Mind.

Adequate addressing then being made only there, but with the problem corrected, revised,

according to our well-posedness theory for philosophical problems (see work from 2008,

once more, [xxx, 2008]).

References:
[xxx, 2006] xxx (2006); A Solution to the Sorites, Semiotica, 160 (1/4).

[xxx, 2008] xxx (2008); Well-posedness problem in Philosophy, preprint, online

repository at www.geocities.com/msorfiap2 (as accessed on the 17th of February of 2009).

[Paul V. Spade, 2005] Spade, Paul V. (2005), Insolubles, The Stanford Encyclopedia of

Philosophy (Fall 2005 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL =

http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2005/entries/insolubles/.