Guest Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 The Mother should simply say you are going to eat my child....If this was the crocodiles intentions then she predicted the childs fate and the croc has to give it back...if it wasn't the crocs intentions and the croc eats the baby then that was the babies fate and the croc can't eat the baby cuz the mom answered correctly and the croc has to give the baby back Therein lies the paradox though. If the mother answered correctly then the croc can either choose to give it back OR eat it because the mother guessed the child's fate BUT the fate was that the croc would eat the child. The croc can't do either act because he is bound by both rules. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 I think the mother should guess "My son will die someday." That is the true fate of the boy no matter what the crocodile chooses to do. Eating the boy only prove her to have truly been correct; while returning the boy to will not falsify her statement. Yay mom! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 12, 2009 Report Share Posted August 12, 2009 I would guess the answer is "you are not going to eat my child." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 12, 2009 Report Share Posted August 12, 2009 I think the mother should guess "My son will die someday." That is the true fate of the boy no matter what the crocodile chooses to do. Eating the boy only prove her to have truly been correct; while returning the boy to will not falsify her statement. Yay mom! It is very clever, but the crocodile asks what HE will do with the child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 14, 2009 Report Share Posted August 14, 2009 The mother should say "You are going to eat my child". Even if the crocodile was going to let the child go, which means with this answer he would eat the child; the mother could argue that she then guessed her childs fate correctly and he deserves to live. BUT! then if the child lives the mother was wrong and the crocodile then deserves to eat the child. So I guess she should say "he will live until you eat him". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 4, 2009 Report Share Posted September 4, 2009 She would have to say "You will eat my child", because she did not guess correctly; therefore the child will be eaten, which is a correct guess. She gets the child back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 In my opinion the mother should say something along the lines of you will touch my child. If the croc does attempt to eat the child he will have to touch the child, fulfilling the womans prediction and ensuring the return of her child. if the croc is not touching the child there is nothing to stop the woman from taking the child away, (I guess other than the croc eating the mother) either way the child doesn't die. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 22, 2009 Report Share Posted September 22, 2009 The mother have to realize that her child's fate is out of her control. It doesn't matter what she would guess, it is all up to the crocodile to decide what to do with the child. However, she can try to prevent the crocodile from eating the child, by saying the following to the crocodile: "Mr Crocodile, you look healthy so you will not eat my child!" By saying this, she is sugesting that eating the child could cause the crocodile to become unhealthy, something that would go agains any animals or humans self preservation instinct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 27, 2009 Report Share Posted September 27, 2009 The mother must guess that the child will be eaten. If she says he will be returned, she has a 50% chance her child will not be eaten. If she says the crocodile will eat the child, then there is no way the crocodile can do so, while still keeping his promise to her. Likewise, if he returns the child, he is also breaking the promise. Hopefully he will see the err in his offer and decide to return the child unharmed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 30, 2009 Report Share Posted September 30, 2009 (edited) The mother could also say, "My child will die someday." This way she is right no matter what the crocodile has planned, and little John or Jane can return home alive and whole.* *I guess someone already pointed this out though. Edited September 30, 2009 by jjcanny1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 7, 2009 Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 (edited) Mother should say, that, you are going to put my child in your mouth. If croc have intentions to eat him up, he will start it by biting or keeping him in mouth... so her statement goes true... croc needs to leave him. Edited October 7, 2009 by sudhanshuswami Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 21, 2009 Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 she says you will eat my child Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 26, 2009 Report Share Posted October 26, 2009 Just say "you will either eat my child or give it back to me" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 2, 2009 Report Share Posted November 2, 2009 Just say nothing. Your child will live to an old age in the jaws of a crocodile. In the end, same result. Xin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 6, 2009 Report Share Posted December 6, 2009 one way to save the boy, the mom says "you will eat the boy" if she was lying the boy would die but then she would be telling the truth so she would get the boy. but then she would lying so it's an infinite loop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 8, 2010 Report Share Posted February 8, 2010 The mom should say:"You will eat the boy". Why? The crocodile has 2 options to do with the boy: 1) Eat him. 2) Give him to his mother. If he planned to eat him, and the mother said that, then she would answer correctly, and the boy would be returned, as promised. But if the crocodile planned to give him back, then the mother answered incorrectly, at that point the crocodile would eat the child, and the mother actually guessed the boy's fate correctly - The boy would have to be returned, as promised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 8, 2010 Report Share Posted February 8, 2010 (edited) She will say "You will eat him." Either way, right or wrong, she will have predicted the correct fate ad infinitum. Edited February 8, 2010 by ylayali Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 24, 2010 Report Share Posted February 24, 2010 I thought that if she said: "You'll eat my child!" If the crocodile eats him, he would have to give it back. If the crocodile spares him, he can eat him. If she said: "You'll spare my child." If the crocodile eats him, she would be wrong. If the crocodile spares him, she would be right. I think imtcb's answer is the most correct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 24, 2010 Report Share Posted February 24, 2010 Crocodile Sophism - Back to the Paradoxes A slim crocodile living in Nile took a child. Mother begged to give him back. The crocodile could not only talk, he was also a great sophist, and so he stated: "If you guess (Edited: predict the fate = guess correctly), what I will do with him, I will return him. However, if you don't guess his fate I'll eat him." What statement shall the mother make to save her child (what about a vicious circle ...)? First post here. Sorry if I'm repeating anything that's been said. Or giving an answer that's been giving. Didn't have time to read all the post. The Mother's reply should be. "I will neither predict nor guess therefore insuring the child's fate to be eaten. Eliminating the 50/50 factor. Therefore her response is 100% correct ensuring the return of her child. But this can only be based on what definition were using for sophist. The ancient def is deceit. The modern def is virtue. If it's the former then she has two possible actions to take. 1) Get a big a** branch and crack the Croc's skull. 2) Throw herself into the jaws of the Croc, sacrificing herself for her child. If it's the latter, then the Croc has to comply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 25, 2010 Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 I would take a machine gun and shoot the croc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 26, 2010 Report Share Posted February 26, 2010 Well if the mother said "you will eat my child" then the croc will simply eat the child and since the mother guessed correctly, throw up and give the baby back. Since he ate the baby the mother was right so he will give it back to her. Now the croc cannot be called a liar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 9, 2010 Report Share Posted April 9, 2010 if you look at the so called paradox it says if you dont guess his fate, ill eat him, so as long as you provide a guess you'll get him back either way, because any guess is a correct guess but if you stay silent and not provide an answer then your screwed lady The mother can reply saying that "i guess you are not going to eat my child and not going to return back my child" In this there are two statements which has been underlined, if the crocodile eats the child then the second statement would be true and if the crocodile returns back the child then the first statement will true and as well the mother can leave with the child. so either ways the statement cant be violated by the crocodile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 9, 2010 Report Share Posted April 9, 2010 THis might sound stupid but ts worth it. What about if the mother says that she guesses that the fate of the child is what the crocodile is guessing to do. Or what about that she says that the crocodile is guessing that she wouldnt say what he is guessing so that he can take the child??? Pretty wierd..... Whatever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 11, 2010 Report Share Posted May 11, 2010 the paradox comes from the chooses the croc gives the women if she responds "you'll eat my child" she is right so the croc gives the child to her making her statement invalid. but if she answers "you will give me my child back" she is wrong so the croc eats the child. so if she says "you will not eat my child" she is either right or wrong because the croc will eat the child or give it back making either outcome matching the criteria of the riddle and her answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 23, 2010 Report Share Posted June 23, 2010 Mother can really save the child by answering croc to the question as undermentioned: Mother say, "On earth the least you would do with my child is to make him feel you". That is croc would definitely touch the child. -- 'Good reasoning Ashish' Ashish Gupta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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