Which Alice?

Which Alice? Which Alice?

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And That's the Beautiful Part of It! figures 10 and 11 in both sentences and rewrote 11, 10 in their places, so the pages now looked like this: "Now," said Humpty Dumpty, "is the sentence on page eleven true or false?" Alice thought about this for some time and suddenly saw the solution. "It couldn't be either," she said. "It's again a paradox!" "Right you are!" said Humpty Dumpty. "Only how would you prove it?" "Well," said Alice, "the sentence on page eleven is really asserting its own falsehood—only indirectly: it affirms the sentence on page ten which asserts the falsehood of the sentence on page eleven. So if the sentence on page eleven is true, it must also be false, and if it is false, it must also be true. So we have a paradox." "Now you're really learning!" exclaimed Humpty Dumpty in a satisfied tone. "Actually there is one paradox I could never figure out!" said Alice. "Perhaps you can help me?" "Indeed, I'll be glad to," said Humpty Dumpty proudly. "I can solve any puzzle that's ever been invented, and a lot more that haven't. What's your problem?" "It's the one about the barber," replied Alice. "A certain barber living in a small town shaves all the inhabitants who don't shave themselves and never shaves any inhabitant who does shave himself. Does the barber shave himself or not?" "Oh, that's an old one, and a very easy one!" laughed Humpty Dumpty. "I can't see any possible solution!" said Alice. "I've thought it over 93

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

figures 10 and 11 in both sentences and rewrote 11, 10 in their<br />

places, so the pages now looked like this:<br />

"Now," said Humpty Dumpty, "is the sentence on page eleven<br />

true or false?"<br />

<strong>Alice</strong> thought about this for some time and suddenly saw the<br />

solution.<br />

"It couldn't be either," she said. "It's again a paradox!"<br />

"Right you are!" said Humpty Dumpty. "Only how would you<br />

prove it?"<br />

"Well," said <strong>Alice</strong>, "the sentence on page eleven is really asserting<br />

its own falsehood—only indirectly: it affirms the sentence on page<br />

ten which asserts the falsehood of the sentence on page eleven. So if<br />

the sentence on page eleven is true, it must also be false, and if it is<br />

false, it must also be true. So we have a paradox."<br />

"Now you're really learning!" exclaimed Humpty Dumpty in a<br />

satisfied tone.<br />

"Actually there is one paradox I could never figure out!" said<br />

<strong>Alice</strong>. "Perhaps you can help me?"<br />

"Indeed, I'll be glad to," said Humpty Dumpty proudly. "I can<br />

solve any puzzle that's ever been invented, and a lot more that<br />

haven't. What's your problem?"<br />

"It's the one about the barber," replied <strong>Alice</strong>. "A certain barber<br />

living in a small town shaves all the inhabitants who don't shave<br />

themselves and never shaves any inhabitant who does shave himself.<br />

Does the barber shave himself or not?"<br />

"Oh, that's an old one, and a very easy one!" laughed Humpty<br />

Dumpty.<br />

"I can't see any possible solution!" said <strong>Alice</strong>. "I've thought it over<br />

93

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