WHAT THE TORTOISE SAID TO ACHILLES Lewis Carroll

Achilles had overtaken the Tortoise, and had seated himsel comorta!l" on its !ack#
$So "o%&ve 'ot to the end o o%r race(co%rse)$ said the Tortoise# $Even tho%'h it does consist o an
ininite series o distances) I tho%'ht some wiseacre or other had *roved that the thin' co%ldn&t !e done)$
$It can !e done,$ said Achilles# $It has !een done+ Solvitur ambulando# ,o% see the distances were
constantl" diminishing- and so $
$.%t i the" had !een constantl" increasing)$ the Tortoise interr%*ted $How then)$
$Then I sho%ldn&t !e here,$ Achilles modestl" re*lied- $and "o% wo%ld have 'ot several times ro%nd
the world, !" this time+$
$,o% latter me flatten, I mean$ said the Tortoise- $or "o% are a heav" wei'ht, and no mistake+
Well now, wo%ld "o% like to hear o a race(co%rse, that most *eo*le anc" the" can 'et to the end o in two or
three ste*s, while it really consists o an ininite n%m!er o distances, each one lon'er than the *revio%s
one)$
$/er" m%ch indeed+$ said the 0recian warrior, as he drew rom his helmet 1ew 0recian warriors
*ossessed pockets in those da"s2 an enormo%s note(!ook and a *encil# $3roceed+ And s*eak slowly, *lease+
Shorthand isn&t invented "et+$
$That !ea%ti%l 4irst 3ro*osition o E%clid+$ the Tortoise m%rm%red dreamil"# $,o% admire E%clid)$
$3assionatel"+ So ar, at least, as one can admire a treatise that won&t !e *%!lished or some cent%ries
to come+$
$Well, now, let&s take a little !it o the ar'%ment in that 4irst 3ro*osition 5%st two ste*s, and the
concl%sion drawn rom them# 6indl" enter them in "o%r note!ook# And in order to reer to them
convenientl", let&s call them A, B, and Z7
1A2 Thin's that are e8%al to the same are e8%al to each other#
1B2 The two sides o this Trian'le are thin's that are e8%al to the same#
1Z2 The two sides o this Trian'le are e8%al to each other#
Readers o E%clid will 'rant, I s%**ose, that Z ollows lo'icall" rom A and B, so that an" one who acce*ts A
and B as tr%e, must acce*t Z as tr%e)$
$9ndo%!tedl"+ The "o%n'est child in a Hi'h School as soon as Hi'h Schools are invented, which
will not !e till some two tho%sand "ears later will 'rant that.$
$And i some reader had not "et acce*ted A and B as tr%e, he mi'ht still acce*t the sequence as a
valid one, I s%**ose)$
$:o do%!t s%ch a reader mi'ht e;ist# He mi'ht sa" &I acce*t as tr%e the H"*othetical 3ro*osition that,
if A and B !e tr%e, Z m%st !e tr%e- !%t, I don't acce*t A and B as tr%e#& S%ch a reader wo%ld do wisel" in
a!andonin' E%clid, and takin' to oot!all#$
$And mi'ht there not also !e some reader who wo%ld sa" &I acce*t A and B as tr%e, !%t I don't acce*t
the H"*othetical&)$
$Certainl" there mi'ht# He, also, had !etter take to oot!all#$
$And neither o these readers,$ the Tortoise contin%ed, $is as yet %nder an" lo'ical necessit" to
acce*t Z as tr%e)$
$<%ite so,$ Achilles assented#
$Well, now, I want "o% to consider me as a reader o the second kind, and to orce me, lo'icall", to
acce*t Z as tr%e#$
$A tortoise *la"in' oot!all wo%ld !e $ Achilles was !e'innin'
$ an anomal", o co%rse,$ the Tortoise hastil" interr%*ted# $Don&t wander rom the *oint# Let&s have
Z irst, and oot!all aterwards+$
$I&m to orce "o% to acce*t Z, am I)$ Achilles said m%sin'l"# $And "o%r *resent *osition is that "o%
acce*t A and B, !%t "o% don&t acce*t the H"*othetical $
$Let&s call it ,$ said the Tortoise#
$ !%t "o% don't acce*t
12 I A and B are tr%e, Z m%st !e tr%e# $
$That is m" *resent *osition,$ said the Tortoise#
$Then I m%st ask "o% to acce*t #$
$I&ll do so,$ said the Tortoise, $as soon as "o%&ve entered it in that note(!ook o "o%rs# What else have
"o% 'ot in it)$
$Onl" a ew memoranda,$ said Achilles, nervo%sl" l%tterin' the leaves7 $a ew memoranda o o
the !attles in which I have distin'%ished m"sel+$
$3lent" o !lank leaves, I see+$ the Tortoise cheeril" remarked# $We shall need them all+$ 1Achilles
sh%ddered#2 $:ow write as I dictate7
1A2 Thin's that are e8%al to the same are e8%al to each other#
1B2 The two sides o this Trian'le are thin's that are e8%al to the same#
12 I A and B are tr%e, Z m%st !e tr%e#
1Z2 The two sides o this Trian'le are e8%al to each other#$
=,o% sho%ld call it !, not Z,$ said Achilles# $It comes ne"t to the other three# I "o% acce*t A and B
and , "o% must acce*t Z#$
$And wh" must I)$
$.eca%se it ollows logically rom them# I A and B and are tr%e, Z must !e tr%e# ,o% don&t dis*%te
that, I ima'ine)$
$I A and B and are tr%e, Z must !e tr%e,$ the Tortoise tho%'ht%ll" re*eated# $That&s another
H"*othetical, isn&t it) And, i I ailed to see its tr%th, I mi'ht acce*t A and B and &, and still not acce*t Z#
mi'htn&t I)$
$,o% mi'ht,$ the candid hero admitted- $tho%'h s%ch o!t%seness wo%ld certainl" !e *henomenal#
Still, the event is possible# So I m%st ask "o% to 'rant one more H"*othetical#$
$/er" 'ood# I&m 8%ite willin' to 'rant it, as soon as "o%&ve written it down# We will call it
1!2 I A and B and are tr%e, Z m%st !e tr%e#
Have "o% entered that in "o%r note!ook)$
$I have+$ Achilles 5o"%ll" e;claimed, as he ran the *encil into its sheath# $And at last we&ve 'ot to
the end o this ideal race(co%rse+ :ow that "o% acce*t A and B and and !, of course "o% acce*t Z#$
$Do I)$ said the Tortoise innocentl"# $Let&s make that 8%ite clear# I acce*t A and B and and !#
S%**ose I still re%sed to acce*t Z)$
$Then Lo'ic wo%ld force "o% to do it+$ Achilles tri%m*hantl" re*lied# $Lo'ic wo%ld tell "o% &,o%
can&t hel* "o%rsel# :ow that "o%&ve acce*ted A and B and and !, "o% must acce*t Z+& So "o%&ve no choice,
"o% see#$
$Whatever Lo'ic is 'ood eno%'h to tell me is worth writing down,$ said the Tortoise# $So enter it in
"o%r !ook, *lease# We will call it
1#2 I A and B and and ! are tr%e, Z m%st !e tr%e#
9ntil I&ve 'ranted that, o co%rse I needn&t 'rant Z# So it&s 8%ite a necessary ste*, "o% see)$
$I see,$ said Achilles- and there was a to%ch o sadness in his tone#
Here the narrator, havin' *ressin' !%siness at the .ank, was o!li'ed to leave the ha**" *air, and did
not a'ain *ass the s*ot %ntil some months aterwards# When he did so, Achilles was still seated on the !ack
o the m%ch(end%rin' Tortoise, and was writin' in his note(!ook, which a**eared to !e nearl" %ll# The
Tortoise was sa"in', $Have "o% 'ot that last ste* written down) 9nless I&ve lost co%nt, that makes a tho%sand
and one# There are several millions more to come# And would "o% mind, as a *ersonal avo%r considerin'
what a lot o instr%ction this collo8%" o o%rs will *rovide or the Lo'icians o the :ineteenth Cent%r"
would "o% mind ado*tin' a *%n that m" co%sin the >ock(T%rtle will then make, and allowin' "o%rsel to !e
re(named $aught%&s)$
$As "o% *lease+$ re*lied the wear" warrior, in the hollow tones o des*air, as he !%ried his ace in his
hands# $3rovided that you, or your *art, will ado*t a *%n the >ock(T%rtle never made, and allow "o%rsel to
!e re(named A 'ill%#ase+$