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a dedication to my friends who don’t like philosophers


you know who you are. I understand your frustrations sometimes, I really do and this is one of the times I really feel you my friends.

THIS PROPOSITION IS NOT TRUE.
IS IT TRUE OR NOT?
Suppose it true. Suppose it not true.
Then, Then,
The proposition is true; It is not true;
But, that it is not true is the proposition: [Ergo,] It is true that it is not true.
[Ergo,] That it is not true is true; But, the proposition is that it is not true.
[Ergo,] It is not true. [Ergo,] The proposition is true.
Besides, Besides,
It is true. The proposition is not true.
[Ergo,] It is true that it is true; But that it is not true is the proposition.
[Ergo,] It is not true that it is not true; [Ergo,] That it is not true, is not true;
But, the proposition is that it is not true, [Ergo,] That it is true, is true;
[Ergo,] The proposition is not true. [Ergo,] It is true.
[Ergo,] Whether it is true or not, it is both true and not.
[Ergo,] It is both true and not,
which is absurd.

About makagutu

As Onyango Makagutu I am Kenyan, as far as I am a man, I am a citizen of the world

71 thoughts on “a dedication to my friends who don’t like philosophers”

  1. inspiredbythedivine1 says:
    June 10, 2015 at 19:41

    Where’s Romeo when we need him?

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  2. archaeopteryx1 says:
    June 10, 2015 at 19:47

    “Holy Schrodinger’s cat, Batman!”

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  3. fojap says:
    June 10, 2015 at 19:48

    It shows that philosophy is useful when you’re stuck on that island with the two tribes, one of whom always lies and the other of whom always tells the truth.

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  4. john zande says:
    June 10, 2015 at 19:49

    Argghhhhhh!

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  5. N℮üґ☼N☮☂℮ṧ says:
    June 10, 2015 at 20:07

    LOL

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  6. A Guy Without Boxers says:
    June 10, 2015 at 21:27

    Thank you, my Nairobi brother! Now I’m totally confused. Am I alive or am I dead? LOL! Much love and naked hugs (I think)! 🙂

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  7. Peter says:
    June 11, 2015 at 12:15

    The story of the Babel Fish
    “Now it is such a bizarrely improbable coincidence that anything so mind-bogglingly useful could have evolved purely by chance that some thinkers have chosen to see it as the final and clinching proof of the non-existence of God.

    The argument goes something like this: “I refuse to prove that I exist,'” says God, “for proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing.”
    “But,” says Man, “The Babel fish is a dead giveaway, isn’t it? It could not have evolved by chance. It proves you exist, and so therefore, by your own arguments, you don’t. QED.”

    “Oh dear,” says God, “I hadn’t thought of that,” and promptly vanishes in a puff of logic.

    “Oh, that was easy,” says Man, and for an encore goes on to prove that black is white and gets himself killed on the next zebra crossing.”
    ― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

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  8. Arkenaten says:
    June 11, 2015 at 15:15

    Such a convoluted convex argument coupled with monochrome concave dino-flagellates masquerading as emasculated pontifications and Baysian propensities alongside a Socratic discipline of Plato induced Freudian slips of infinitesimal longitudinal xenomorphic idiosyncratic detail can only lead to a post-Aquinas sans Carrier/Craig like singularity: ergo, god is real,left handed and has one testicle.

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  9. Allallt says:
    June 11, 2015 at 15:30

    PHILOSOPHY TO THE RESCUE:
    Imma go out on a limb and posit that “true or false” is not a true dichotomy. Other options include “nonsensical” (which cannot really be said to be true or false, because its nonsense) and “paradox” (which I feel this is).

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    • makagutu says:
      June 11, 2015 at 15:38

      Yes. Paradox it is.
      You have read of zeno’s paradoxes?

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      • Allallt says:
        June 11, 2015 at 15:40

        No. Unless that’s the one about the arrow never reaching a target because it goes half way, and then half that, then half that again…

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        • makagutu says:
          June 11, 2015 at 15:42

          That is one of them.
          There is another about a frog race. Most of them have been answered success except that one regarding the arrow

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          • Allallt says:
            June 11, 2015 at 16:21

            I think of the arrow one line this:
            * Assume the arrow travels at a constant speed.
            * It takes off at t0 and is half way by t1, then half again by t1.5 and half way again by t1.75… And so on.
            * You then show that we’re talking about a geometric progression tending towards t2.
            * You also see that the distance time graph shows a linear relationship. (From which, extrapolations can be made.)
            * the arrow therefore arrives at t2.

            I also like the physicist and the mechanic solution: a physicist and mechanic are stood at opposite ends of a hall way and in the middle is a beautiful naked woman. They are told they may approach her by travelling half the distance to her, then half again. The physicist refuses to participate because he can see from his maths that he will never reach her. The mechanic does play, because he realises be will get close enough for all practical purposes.

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  10. shelldigger says:
    June 11, 2015 at 16:27

    Clearly it is true it is not true, and not true that it is true.

    Makes perfect sense. At least during my first marriage… Arguing with a bipolar witch from hell leaves you with the exact same feeling this paradox leaves you with.

    My apologies to all of the bipolar witches from hell who might take offense. You were never singled out or implied, and refunds are non transferrable. 🙂

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    • makagutu says:
      June 11, 2015 at 16:28

      You know this was a special dedication to my friends like you 😛
      It is a paradox, an annoying one at that

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      • shelldigger says:
        June 11, 2015 at 16:37

        Gee thanks Mak. I already had the blade of philosophy partly embedded between my ribs, you just had to push it in a little further, didn’t ya? What are friends for if not to jab a little here and there? 😉

        It might take a week, a month, maybe a year, I will get you when you least expect it! 🙂

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