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Epimenides Paradox

Statement

The Epimenides paradox is the self-contradiction inherent in the statement, "All Cretans are liars; one of their own poets has said so."

Alternate description

Epimenides was a Cretan who made one immortal statement: "All Cretans are liars."
One of Crete's own prophets has said it: "Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons." He has surely told the truth. For this reason correct them sternly, that they may be sound in faith instead of paying attention to Jewish fables and to commandments of people who turn their backs on the truth.

History

formulation date | 550 BC (2574 years ago)
formulator | Epimenides
status | not necessarily a true paradox
additional people involved | Bertrand Russell

Current evidence

Not a true paradox since the poet may have knowledge that at least one Cretan is, in fact, honest, and so is lying when he says that all Cretans are liars. There therefore need be no self-contradiction in what could simply be a false statement by a person who is himself a liar.

Classes

ambiguous problem | mathematical paradoxes

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