Which Alice?
Which Alice?
Which Alice?
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ALICE IN PUZZLE-LAND<br />
and can't get anywhere! If the barber shaves himself, then he is<br />
violating his rule by shaving someone who shaves himself. If he<br />
doesn't shave himself, then he is one of those who don't shave<br />
themselves, and since he shaves all such people, then he must shave<br />
himself. So whether he shaves himself or not, you get a contradiction!<br />
Now, you can't get out of this one by saying, 'It's neither true<br />
nor false that he shaves himself,' because it must be either true or<br />
false that he shaves himself!"<br />
"That who shaves himself?" asked Humpty Dumpty.<br />
"Why the barber, of course!"<br />
"<strong>Which</strong> barber?" asked Humpty Dumpty.<br />
"Obviously the barber of the story!" replied <strong>Alice</strong>, a bit impatiently.<br />
"Oh, really now?" said Humpty, "and who ever said the story is<br />
true?"<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> thought about this for a moment.<br />
"Come now," said <strong>Alice</strong>, "it is given that the barber is as described;<br />
in approaching a puzzle, one can't deny what's given!"<br />
"Can't one?" replied Humpty Dumpty, "even when the so-called<br />
given is self-contradictory?"<br />
This was a new idea to <strong>Alice</strong>.<br />
"The fact is," continued Humpty Dumpty, "there is no such<br />
barber, there never has been any such barber, and there never will<br />
be any such barber. There simply couldn't be such a barber, because<br />
if there were, you would have a contradiction."<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> was not quite convinced.<br />
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