Does true mean the same as honest? If a person was taught using a different system of measuring and thought he was 10 feet tall, he would be being dishonest to say he is not ten feet tall.
If he thought that the word "lie" meant "tell the truth" then answering yes to "do you lie" does not make him dishonest. So the only time he could not answer a question with yes is when he literally cannot answer the question. So death(or anything else making the man unable to talk, or communicate in any way known to another person) would be the correct answear.
emoobia makes a great point. The question does not define "honest person." There is no reason that an honest person cannot sometimes tell a lie or say something that is inaccurate. Or, they could say something inaccurate, but in a manner to show that the answer you are giving isn't true.
The point is that, within the parameters of the question, there aren't a million or an infinite number of questions to which you can't answer yes. In fact, the answer is zero.
Q: Is the sky green?
A: Yes (nothing in the question preventing the honest person from saying something untrue)
Q: Are you an honest person?
A: Yes (true)
Q: Why is the sky blue?
A: Yes (nonsense answer, but not prohibited by the question as posed)
Q: Are you dead? (to a live person)
A: Yes (again, the question does not enjoin lying)
Edited by sunshipballoons, 10 April 2008 - 09:59 PM.
.
