Which Alice?

Which Alice? Which Alice?

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And That's the Beautiful Part of It! "It certainly did!" replied Alice. "It almost made my head ache! Is this question an example of what is called a paradox?" "Indeed it is, child, and a fine one at that! I thought it up myself." "I know that," said Alice. "You've already repeated it twice." "Not so," replied Humpty Dumpty, "I've said it twice, but I repeated it only once. "Anyhow," he continued, "paradoxes are usually in the form of statements rather than questions. Mine is novel in that it is in the form of a question rather than a statement. It is based on the idea behind the famous statement which asserts its own falsehood." "What statement is that?" asked Alice. "It is the following well-known statement—here, let me write it for you." Alice handed him her pencil and memorandum book. Humpty Dumpty glanced through the first nine pages. "This is interesting stuff," he said, "but you've forgotten to number the pages. You should always number the pages, you know! Otherwise, how can you tell which page follows which?" "But the pages are not loose," replied Alice. "They are bound together. So it is obvious which page follows which!" "You should always number your pages," repeated Humpty Dumpty. "Here—I'll number them for you." He then numbered the first nine pages, then the tenth and 8

And That's the Beautiful Part of It!<br />

"It certainly did!" replied <strong>Alice</strong>. "It almost made my head ache! Is<br />

this question an example of what is called a paradox?"<br />

"Indeed it is, child, and a fine one at that! I thought it up myself."<br />

"I know that," said <strong>Alice</strong>. "You've already repeated it twice."<br />

"Not so," replied Humpty Dumpty, "I've said it twice, but I<br />

repeated it only once.<br />

"Anyhow," he continued, "paradoxes are usually in the form of<br />

statements rather than questions. Mine is novel in that it is in the<br />

form of a question rather than a statement. It is based on the idea<br />

behind the famous statement which asserts its own falsehood."<br />

"What statement is that?" asked <strong>Alice</strong>.<br />

"It is the following well-known statement—here, let me write it<br />

for you."<br />

<strong>Alice</strong> handed him her pencil and memorandum book. Humpty<br />

Dumpty glanced through the first nine pages.<br />

"This is interesting stuff," he said, "but you've forgotten to<br />

number the pages. You should always number the pages, you know!<br />

Otherwise, how can you tell which page follows which?"<br />

"But the pages are not loose," replied <strong>Alice</strong>. "They are bound<br />

together. So it is obvious which page follows which!"<br />

"You should always number your pages," repeated Humpty<br />

Dumpty. "Here—I'll number them for you."<br />

He then numbered the first nine pages, then the tenth and<br />

8

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