Curry’s Paradox ----How to Prove Whatever You Say Is True

Whenever we are arguing or debating with others, we are confronted with such a dilemma that if we should keep on quarrelling or just bring the quarrel to a termination. Although we are dying to demonstrate our standpoint is true, we know all of our efforts will finally be in vain most of the time. Now there is a measure in philosophy that can prove whatever we say is true, isn’t it what we are craving for?

The method is called Curry’s paradox, named after the logician Haskell Curry. To show this method, we can start with the conditional claims. Logically, a conditional statement” if A, then B” implies that the premise” A is true” can lead to a conclusion” B is true“.

For example, “if Oliver stays up all night, then he will be late for school.” is a conditional claim. To verify our claim is true, maybe we will have the following inference: suppose Oliver stays up all night, and then he will get up late next day, therefore being late for school. (That is, the premise leads to the conclusion.)

Now think of the following case:

Sentence 1: if sentence 1 is true, then sentence 2 is true.

Sentence 2: whatever I say is true.

To verify the conditional claim in sentence 1 is true, suffice it to say that the premise “sentence 1 is true” leads to the conclusion” sentence 2 is true”. However, the premise “sentence 1 is true” implies the content of sentence 1 (if sentence 1 is true, then sentence 2 is true.) is true. And by the premise and the content of sentence 1, we get the conclusion “sentence 2 is true”. (That is, the premise leads to the conclusion.)

From the inference above, we actually prove the conditional statement is true. Moreover, because sentence 1 is equivalent to the conditional statement, sentence 1 is true too. Then, from the words framed, we get the conclusion sentence 2 is true.

Amazingly, now we get what we long for! Disappointedly, even if you prove what you say is true logically, perhaps your friends will not accept your standpoint. This time, you can only shrug and stop arguing with a sigh……

For more information, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B172ZYOyK4g.