A question to confuse the he'll out of any of you budding philosophers!

[FlickerWick]

If you make it your New Year's resolution to break your New Year's resolution, what happens? To keep it you'd have to break it, and if you break your resolution, then you haven't kept it. Similarly, if you don't break it, then you can't 'complete' it.

Discuss. I'm curious to see what you lot think!

[Toz]

It's a catch-22! Either way, you've failed.

[FlickerWick]

But surely you can't fail something if it's impossible to succeed? I mean, it's like having a double headed coin, it just can't happen. :|

The way I see it, if you can fail at something, you have to be able to succeed too.

I don't think my mind can remain stable for much longer on this topic. xD

[dr2005]

I think it's a logical non-starter, because in order to be applied properly it can't be your true New Year's resolution. Resolving to "break your New Year's resolution" is devoid of any content capable of being broken, because it there is nothing in the resolution upon which breakage can be exercised. In effect, it's entirely circular. In order to actually carry out breakage, something else must be the resolution and possess content capable of being broken, but then "breaking your New Year's resolution" is no longer your resolution.

I'm not sure if I've just managed to confuse myself rather than answer the question, but I'm sticking with it.

[FlickerWick]

Damn you auto-correct, I've only noticed the title. -_-

I got the devoid of content bit which is actually a good point, but the rest made no sense to me! No offense of course. I think it might just be, as you basically said, an impossible situation, but there are a few ways you could go about to 'solving' it, I suppose. Mindsplosion imminent in 10, 9, 8...

[Kate*]

If breaking the resolution is all there is to it, then technically you succeed when you break it because you intended to and did so on purpose. You planned to do something and you did.

[dr2005]

Originally Posted by FlickerWick

Damn you auto-correct, I've only noticed the title. -_-

Didn't want to say anything, but now you mention it...

Originally Posted by FlickerWick

I got the devoid of content bit which is actually a good point, but the rest made no sense to me! No offense of course. I think it might just be, as you basically said, an impossible situation, but there are a few ways you could go about to 'solving' it, I suppose. Mindsplosion imminent in 10, 9, 8...

Yeah, I think I'd better try that again! I guess the problem is the resolution is based around breaking, which requires something that can be broken (as covered already). However, in this instance the target of breakage is the method of breakage itself, which becomes an impossibility. I'll try an analogy to flesh it out a bit: you can use a slingshot to break a window, or you can break the slingshot as a consequence of using it (too much strain, for example). However, try as you might, you cannot break the slingshot using the slingshot, or use a saw to cut itself in half or a gun to shoot itself. By its very nature, it has to be directed towards something else in order to work. Same goes with a New Year's resolution of "breaking your New Year's resolution" - it needs something to be used against or it fails utterly.

That any better?

[Toz]

I've given this some thought. Okay.

First off, it's the equivalent of meeting a genie, and wishing for no wish. It's a self refuting principle. The wish, like the New Year's resolution is a vehicle for causation, nothing more. You can aspire to not do something (smoke cigars, etc), and you can wish for something not to happen, and it may come true. But you can't cancel out the actual vehicle for causation. It would be like me having a car, and saying, "If I want to drive nowhere, just the spot where I currently am, did my journey ever begin?" It's a nonsensical notion, because the car, like the wish or resolution, serves as only a means to an end. It doesn't fail or pass so much as you do.

I hope that made sense, though I'm waiting with baited breath on what dr2005 has to say on it.

[dr2005]

Originally Posted by Toz

I've given this some thought. Okay.

First off, it's the equivalent of meeting a genie, and wishing for no wish. It's a self refuting principle. The wish, like the New Year's resolution is a vehicle for causation, nothing more. You can aspire to not do something (smoke cigars, etc), and you can wish for something not to happen, and it may come true. But you can't cancel out the actual vehicle for causation. It would be like me having a car, and saying, "If I want to drive nowhere, just the spot where I currently am, did my journey ever begin?" It's a nonsensical notion, because the car, like the wish or resolution, serves as only a means to an end. It doesn't fail or pass so much as you do.

I hope that made sense, though I'm waiting with baited breath on what dr2005 has to say on it.

That's basically what I was trying to say, just put in a much better and more comprehensible way. Thanks.

[Toz]

Originally Posted by dr2005

That's basically what I was trying to say, just put in a much better and more comprehensible way. Thanks.

[craz33me]

Mind blown.
I got one though.
If pinocchio told you his nose would grow right then, what would happen?

[JKmadu619]

A Crocodile kidnaps a man's son, but promises to give the man his son back if the man predicts what the crocodile will do next (Apparently the crocodile is bound by some kind of crocodile honour system.). The man predicts the crocodile will not give the man his son. What happens?

Or if you travel back in time to kill your grandfather, you cannot be born. So therefore your grandfather is not dead, allowing your birth again. What happens?

I love paradoxes.

- Justin

[FlickerWick]

If the police arrest a mime, does he have to be told 'you have the right to remain silent'?
Can vegetarians eat animal crackers?
And so on.

Going off topic now, but hey. Thanks for all of your help guys with my original question! ;-)

[Toz]

Originally Posted by FlickerWick

If the police arrest a mime, does he have to be told 'you have the right to remain silent'?
Can vegetarians eat animal crackers?
And so on.

Going off topic now, but hey. Thanks for all of your help guys with my original question! ;-)

Yes, and yes.

[FlickerWick]

Aha, I wasn't expecting a response/looking for an answer, but thanks anyway.

[rizz]

lol i like paradoxes, there fun and make you think...maybe we should make a game of this is chit chat