Paradoxes are rather loosely defined, but can be said to be a true statement that defies intuition. Some have solution some don’t. Here are 7 paradoxes we bet you can’t solve.
1. Grandfather paradox
A man goes back in time, and kills his grandfather before the grandmother can meet his grandmother. This means that one of the man’s parents will not have been born, and the man in turn, will not have been born.
2. Unstoppable force paradox
What happens when an unstoppable force meets an unmovable object? If the force moves the object, then it is not unmovable. If the force doesn’t, the force is not unstoppable.
3. Free will
If God is omnipotent and knows what we will do before he created us, how can we have free will?
ANSWER: This paradox is explained by God being outside of time–he knows the future just like he knows the past and the present. Just as the past does not interfere with our free will, neither does the future.
4. Epimenides paradox
Epimenides, in a poem wrote: “The Cretans, always liars, evil beasts, idle bellies!” However, Epimenides himself was a Cretan. If Epimenides is a Cretan and a liar, then his statement, “The Cretans, always liars” is a lie. This means all Cretans are truthful, then Epimenides’ statement is the truth. The paradox will infinitely regress.
5. Paradox of the heap
here are 1,000,000 grains of sand in a heap. If we remove one grain, it is still a heap. If we remove another grain, if it still a heap.
6. Crocodile Dilemma
A crocodile steals a son from his father, and promises to return the child if the father can correctly guess what the crocodile will do.
7. Omnipotence paradox
Can God create something so heavy He cannot lift it? If he can create something so heavy he can’t lift, then his lack of strength means he is not omnipotent.