Crocodile Paradox

Crocodile Paradox – Crocodile Dilemma…

A crocodile catches the child of a woman washing clothes by the Nile river, taking advantage of a momentary negligence. The woman begs the crocodile to return her child. Crocodile says: “If you guess correctly what I will do with your child, I will give it to you, otherwise I will eat it.”

The woman screams and says: “Oh my God! You’re going to eat my baby.”

Crocodile says: “Well, I can’t give the baby to you anymore, because if I gave, you will be guessing wrong. Whereas I told you I’d eat it if you guessed wrong.”

The woman says: “On the contrary… You cannot eat my baby, because if you eat, I will have been guessed correctly and you said that if I guessed right, you would give the my baby to me.” And this dialogue creates the crocodile paradox.

(A similar paradox is as follows: The king says to a man he is going to punish, “Tell me something, if it is true, I will have you hanged, if it is wrong I will have you beheaded.” The man in turn replies, “You will have my neck cut off.”)

You can share your thoughts about the crocodile dilemma in the comments section…

January 7, 2024