Christian Nunez

WT3 topic #3
Discrete Math
Prof Gloag

Resolving Logical Paradoxes: Epimenides, Jourdain's Card, and the Barber Paradox

Background: Logical paradoxes are statements or situations that lead to self-contradictory or

absurd conclusions. These paradoxes have intrigued philosophers, mathematicians, and
logicians for centuries due to their perplexing nature and implications for our understanding of
logic and truth.

One of the earliest examples of a logical paradox is the "liar paradox," attributed to the ancient
Greek philosopher Epimenides the Cretan. Epimenides, a Cretan himself, stated, "All Cretans
are liars." If his statement is true, then all Cretans are indeed liars, including himself, making his
statement false. But if it's false, then not all Cretans are liars, implying that his statement is true.
This paradox challenges the notion of truth and self-reference.

Jourdain's card paradox, formulated by philosopher and logician Philip Jourdain, deals with the
concept of provability in formal systems. It involves a card with the statement "The sentence on
the other side of this card is true." If the statement is true, then the sentence on the other side
must be true as well, creating an infinite loop of truth. If it's false, then the statement on the other
side must be false, leading to a similar paradoxical situation.

The barber paradox is a classic self-referential paradox that arises from Russell's set theory. It
involves a town where the barber shaves all and only those who do not shave themselves. The
question then arises: Does the barber shave himself? If he shaves himself, he falls into the
category of those who do not shave themselves, but he cannot shave himself according to the
rule. If he doesn't shave himself, he must shave himself according to the rule. This contradiction
highlights the complexities of self-referential statements.

Examples:

1. Epimenides' Paradox Resolution: To resolve Epimenides' paradox, one must recognize

the self-referential nature of the statement. This paradox falls under the category of
self-referential paradoxes, where a statement refers to itself, leading to inconsistency. In
formal logic, such self-referential statements can be considered undefined or
nonsensical, preventing the paradox from arising.
2. Jourdain's Card Paradox Resolution: Jourdain's paradox demonstrates the limits of
provability in formal systems. The statement on the card creates an infinite chain of
self-reference, which is not allowed in most formal systems. One way to resolve this
paradox is to recognize that self-reference is restricted or disallowed within the system,
preventing the infinite loop and allowing the statement to be neither provable nor
disprovable.
 3. Barber Paradox Resolution: The barber paradox can be resolved by realizing that the
scenario described is self-contradictory and cannot exist in reality. The paradox serves
as an example of the limitations of set theory, and it led to the development of more
rigorous and consistent mathematical frameworks, such as Russell's theory of types, to
avoid such contradictions.

sources:

1. Copi, Irving M., et al. Introduction to Logic. Routledge, 2019.

2. Rescher, Nicholas. Paradoxes: Their Roots, Range, and Resolution. Open Court, 2001.