The Sorites Paradox
Posted: Sun May 08, 2016 5:26 pm
So my girlfriend told me this today, but I don't think it's a paradox. it goes like this:
The sorites paradox (/soʊˈraɪtiːz/;[1] sometimes known as the paradox of the heap) is a paradox that arises from vague predicates.[2] A typical formulation involves a heap of sand, from which grains are individually removed. Under the assumption that removing a single grain does not turn a heap into a non-heap, the paradox is to consider what happens when the process is repeated enough times: is a single remaining grain still a heap? (Or are even no grains at all a heap?) If not, when did it change from a heap to a non-heap?[3]
The definition of heap, as per Dictionary.com, is "a group of things placed, thrown, or lying one on another"
So you can define when it goes from being a heap to a non-heap; specifically, when you go from two grains of sand to one grain of sand. This is because one thing cannot be a group, therefore one grain of sand is not a heap by the above definition. But since two or more things is a group, then you can say that when you still have two or more grains of sand you do have a heap, technically. Therefore, the questions are both answered and it's not a paradox.
Am I insane? Or intellectually inept? Help me out here
The sorites paradox (/soʊˈraɪtiːz/;[1] sometimes known as the paradox of the heap) is a paradox that arises from vague predicates.[2] A typical formulation involves a heap of sand, from which grains are individually removed. Under the assumption that removing a single grain does not turn a heap into a non-heap, the paradox is to consider what happens when the process is repeated enough times: is a single remaining grain still a heap? (Or are even no grains at all a heap?) If not, when did it change from a heap to a non-heap?[3]
The definition of heap, as per Dictionary.com, is "a group of things placed, thrown, or lying one on another"
So you can define when it goes from being a heap to a non-heap; specifically, when you go from two grains of sand to one grain of sand. This is because one thing cannot be a group, therefore one grain of sand is not a heap by the above definition. But since two or more things is a group, then you can say that when you still have two or more grains of sand you do have a heap, technically. Therefore, the questions are both answered and it's not a paradox.
Am I insane? Or intellectually inept? Help me out here