Preview

Sorites Paradox Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
968 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Sorites Paradox Analysis
When looking at the whole of an object, the Sorites Paradox poses the question as to what defines that whole as one. Essentially asking, how much of a part of a whole can you take away before the whole no longer is so (whole). Take a pile of sand. By definition, the sand clustered together is a pile. Even if you remove a grain of sand the pile remains. The Sorites Paradox poses the question, at what point when the grains are removed does the pile become not-a-pile. As with anything that deals with definition, the solution to this Paradox is a tricky one to answer. Even more so it has less to do with the actual observation and more with the definition, as an objects definition can be influenced by differing or deceptive definitions, or even …show more content…
Because of this, each individual has a slightly different concept of the exact definition of something as our understanding can only stem from what we know. It's similar to how electrons in the cell interact with one another and behave as waves, but when measured fall into the constructs of the measurement and show up as a particle. The observer will always have to fit the observation into their own measurements or constructs. In this way we can assume that everyone's definition will always slightly vary and can never fall into an exact definition unless the observer can commit to memory the dictionary definition and guarantee to only use this singular definition as their mental and verbal frame of reference. Even then we would still run into the issue of others using a different definition as well as qualifying the dictionary to others as a primary source that they must adhere …show more content…
These are acquired through two means, observation and inquisition. The first means of acquiring often leads to bias from our own previous observations as what we are observing falls into the constructs ( or the information we already know) of the observer so that understanding can be formed of the subject. The second means is where the outside world can affect how we define something as it involves directly learning or hearing a definition from somebody else who we have already determined has formed their own definition by either two of these flawed means. This directly leads to the solution of this paradox which is that the solution can only exist in a world who's inhabitants (or observers) are incapable of forming their own ideas of what something is and instead all have a consensus or agreement on what the exact meaning of everything is. While this world would be far less confusing and more self assured, it would take away differences which help lead to new perspectives of new concepts and the imaginations most of us have that help us form understanding of things. The solution can only absolutely exist in a world that does not change, which is not our world. But you cannot technically label the solution as impossible making even this, the solution to a paradox, a

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Great Paradox Summary

    • 303 Words
    • 2 Pages

    After reading the first few pages of Strangers in their Own Land, I realized that my political views were similar to the authors, so I was interested to see what she discovered by doing some in depth research on "The Great Paradox". This is the idea that people living in extremely poor states still tend to align with republican views, even though they are the ones who would benefit from more government aid. Up until this point in the book, I am still not convinced that there is a reasonable explanation for why these republicans living in the deep South continue to hold the political values they do. After doing research and interviewing people from Louisiana, the author found that although many residents have life long lasting health problems…

    • 303 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Latino Paradox Analysis

    • 167 Words
    • 1 Page

    Encyclopedia Britannica(2015), explains the term "paradox" as one that "arises from false assumptions, which then lead to inconsistencies between observed and expected behavior".…

    • 167 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    They feel that successful interpretations of the truth are those that convince others. Under this view, multiple meanings are acceptable. I find this view more satisfying because once you have convinced someone to believe what you present as the truth, they believe it. An example would be convincing a jury of your innocence, once you present them with convincing facts as to the…

    • 893 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Meno's Paradox

    • 1703 Words
    • 5 Pages

    At Euthyphro 9e, Euthyphro claims that the pious is that which is loved by all the gods. In effect, he is claiming that the pious and the god-loved are identical. In reply to this claim, Socrates argues that “If the god-loved and the pious were the same, my dear Euthyphro, then if the pious was being loved because it was pious, the god-loved would also be being loved because it is god-loved.” Socrates is essentially arguing that if the ‘pious’ and the ‘god-loved’ are, in fact, identical, you should be able to use the terms interchangeably without changing the truth value of a particular statement.…

    • 1703 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Paradoxes define the human race. Man has the capacity to perform the kindest, most noble actions, but he can also destroy in a most horrible and terrifying manner. The given reading, Night by Elie Wiesel, A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, and various articles, serve to provide examples of such behavior. The ten quotes these works stem from the first paradox (defined above), which regards the capabilities of sentient beings in taking action when presented as the Human Condition Project, and the ten quotes included in this essay define this capability.…

    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Meno Paradox Analysis

    • 629 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Meno Paradox starts around page 79, in these pages Meno and Socrates argue about weather knowledge is learnable or merely a recollection. Lets start by reading the “Meno Paradox”. Meno says, “How will you look for it, Socrates, when you don’t know what it is? How will you aim to search for something you do not know at all? If you should meet with it, how will you know what to look for?”(80d) My interpretation of the text is this, if you know the answer to a question you cannot gain knowledge by asking it. But if you do not know the answer to the question, you will not differentiate the correct answer when given. How can I ever truly know if something is true or false? If I could just keep going to the source of the previous answer and question weather that source is true or false? One might respond by…

    • 629 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    say: We know it when we see it. But unless we attempt a definition of some sort, we risk…

    • 4208 Words
    • 17 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    A Puzzling Paradox

    • 1471 Words
    • 5 Pages

    This writer was given an assignment of researching three questions related to learning disability. The three questions are: 1. what is a learning disability? 2. How do individuals with learning disabilities process information? and 3. What challenges are related to how these individuals process information? This writer has learned a lot about learning disability and special education all throughout this course, during this research, and during observation time in the classroom. Special education, a program developed in order to provide a free, appropriate education to all students, even those with special needs, was developed because of the passage of laws such as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA, Public Law 94–142), later known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and has evolved over the years based on updates in the law (Polloway, 2013). This essay details some of the things that this writer has learned.…

    • 1471 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Boo Radley Point Of View

    • 1896 Words
    • 8 Pages

    People perceive things differently and view situations around them with different sorts of mindsets, so ultimately, someone’s perception of something might be different from someone else’s.…

    • 1896 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    meant to define the other – and in this case, the other is refusing to be defined by…

    • 867 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    George Kelly' Constructs

    • 1033 Words
    • 5 Pages

    in this definition refer to an individual 's experiences, thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and everything that remains . All processes are determined by the person 's anticipation of the self, of others, and of the world in general .…

    • 1033 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    They describe, observe and name concepts, properties and dimensions but they do not explain the interrelationships among the concepts or propositions and they do not indicate how changes in one concept affect other concepts.…

    • 1993 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Now it could be the case that the conceptual map which I carry around in my head is totally different from yours, in which case you and I would interpret or make sense of the world in totally different ways. We would be incapable of sharing our thoughts or expressing ideas about the world to each other. In fact, each of us probably does understand and interpret the world in a unique and individual way. However, we are able to communicate because we share…

    • 2500 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    epicurean paradox

    • 1547 Words
    • 4 Pages

    I can give my opinion as a Christian, and can't speak for other religions. But for us, God’s “will” revolves around Who He is. In short, God IS Love. We believe that everything He does, everything He is ,is steeped in His being Love. But what is love? That’s really the question, because it has everything to do with any understanding of His will. Love creates. It can’t help itself. Where there is love, there is birth, or creativity, or life… love abounds and overflows. It does not hold itself in. So, to keep it simple, let me just say that God created us out of this overflowing Love.…

    • 1547 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Zenos PAradox

    • 3055 Words
    • 13 Pages

    The first asserts the non-existence of motion on the ground that that which is in locomotion must arrive at the half-way stage before it arrives at the goal. (Aristotle Physics, 239b11)…

    • 3055 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics