Cannibal Paradox

Cannibal Paradox – Cannibal Dilemma…

A logician falls into the hands of a group of cannibals living on an island. Cannibals say to the logician:

• “We eat every foreigner we catch. Some we fry or boil and eat them. We ask our prey a question. If our prey answers the question correctly, we boil it; if it answers wrong, we fry it.”

They do as they say. They ask the logician the following question:

• “Are we going to boil and eat you, or fry and eat you?”

The logician answers the question very cleverly, after thinking for a while:

• “You’re going to fry!”

Here is the paradox that leaves cannibals helpless. And thanks to this answer, the logician is neither fried nor boiled.

Let’s assume for a moment that the logician is going to be fried. Then his answer will be correct. But since the answer is correct –according to the cannibals’ own rules– the logician needs to be scalded. So the logician cannot be fried.

Now suppose the logician is scalded. Then the logician’s answer will be wrong. Since the answer is wrong, it should also be fried. So the logician cannot be boiled.

You can share your thoughts about the cannibal paradox in the comments section…

January 7, 2024