Barber paradox
•
17 Feb 2011, 12:07
•
Journals
Barber: "I cut the hair of all those men in town, and only those men in town that do not cut their own hair."
This is a paradox for if the barber cuts his own hair, then he belongs to that group of men who cut their own hair. But that is the one grouping of men whose hair the barber does not cut. If someone else cut’s the barber’s hair, then he does not cut his own hair and the sign says that he does. Either the sign is wrong or nobody, including the barber, can cut the barber’s hair.
So, what do you think?
This is a paradox for if the barber cuts his own hair, then he belongs to that group of men who cut their own hair. But that is the one grouping of men whose hair the barber does not cut. If someone else cut’s the barber’s hair, then he does not cut his own hair and the sign says that he does. Either the sign is wrong or nobody, including the barber, can cut the barber’s hair.
So, what do you think?
interesting anyways :)
E: MAYBE HE'S BALD!
(otherwise i opt for: "the barber just never gets a haircut")
And the sign says he cuts the hair of all members of that group.
Also even if the barber is female, she would have to cut the hair of every bald man in town, since they definitely do not cut their own hair. This makes absolutely no sense and has to be false in any real world setting.
A man is enjoying a pint of beer in a bar and when he's done for the night he starts walking home. Finally he gets home and climbs up a hell of a lot of stairs, turns off the light and goes to bed. The next morning he wakes up just like any other day, looks out the window, and after seeing the view from the window he commits suicide.
Why (hint: what was this man's occupation)?
problem solved!
I mean, first off we need a definition for a barber: someone who cuts other people's hair or beard. So as soon as the village barber starts cutting his own hair, he "stops" being a barber and starts being just another man taking care of his looks, because you're not being a barber when you're cutting your *own* hair (as barbers only cut other people's hair).
It's the same thing with dentists for example: a dentist is someone who takes care of and treats other people's teeth. Brushing your own teeth doesn't make you a dentist, and when you're brushing your teeth you're not being a dentist but just a person taking care of their personal hygieny.