Is there anything paradoxical about statements that are true but unbelievable?
Imagine the following scenario. You pass a horsebox parked by the road. The driver tells you that the horsebox contains either a horse or a donkey or a unicorn. You know that unicorns do not exist and therefore you do not believe that the driver is telling the truth. The driver opens the door and emerges with a horse.
Should you conclude that the driver was telling the truth? Were you right to disbelieve the driver?
My instinct is that this is an elementary philosphical problem, but I've not so far succeeded in finding any treatment of this question. I'd be extremely grateful if someone could point me in the right direction.
The reason I'm interested is that I've read suggestions that a statement that is true but unbelievable is paradoxical. It seems to me that it's so easy to concoct such a statement that it cannot be regarded as paradoxical. Do people agree?
Should you conclude that the driver was telling the truth? Were you right to disbelieve the driver?
My instinct is that this is an elementary philosphical problem, but I've not so far succeeded in finding any treatment of this question. I'd be extremely grateful if someone could point me in the right direction.
The reason I'm interested is that I've read suggestions that a statement that is true but unbelievable is paradoxical. It seems to me that it's so easy to concoct such a statement that it cannot be regarded as paradoxical. Do people agree?
Comments (5)
It's either an elementary misunderstanding of disjunction or a lack of the sense of humor.
Statement 1: the box contains a horse or a donkey or a cow
Statement 2: the box contains a horse or a donkey or a unicorn
On the basis that the box contains a horse, both statements are true.
But the presence of an impossible item in statement 2 gives it a different status from statement 1. Is there some conventional terminology that is used to distinguish the different statuses of the two statements?
* Imagine a scene: you and a friend come across a horsebox and wonder who is inside: a horse, a cow, a donkey... You decide to have a friendly wager: you bet on a cow and your friend bets on a horse. At this point you both clearly hear neighing from inside the box. Your friend smirks and says: "Well, it's either a horse or a unicorn!"