3._The_Heap_英文版_悖论_逻辑学教材.doc

The Paradoxes of Eubulides of Miletus (4th century B.C.) 3. The Heap (a.k.a. The Bald Man, a.k.a. The Sorites Paradox) I. The Paradox Consider this obvious truth: addition of 1 kernel of wheat is too insignificant to turn what is not a heap of wheat into a heap of wheat and, similarly, subtraction of 1 kernel of wheat is too insignificant to turn what is a heap of wheat into what is not a heap of wheat. The obvious truth has the paradoxical consequences shown by the following Soritical argument: 1. 1 grain of wheat is not a heap. 2. If 1 grain of wheat is not a heap, then 2 grains of wheat are not a heap. [by the obvious truth] 3. If 2 grains of wheat are not a heap, then 3 grains of wheat are not a heap. [by the obvious truth] . . . 10,000. If 9,999 grains of wheat are not a heap, then 10,000 grains are not a heap. [by the obvious truth] Therefore, 10,000 grains of wheat are not a heap. The argument is valid. (In effect, it just uses 10,000 applications of the truth-preserving inference rule modus ponens.) And, its premises all seem to be true: (1) is clearly true; (2) is true by the obvious truth that addition of 1 little kernel can’t turn a non-heap into a heap; and (3)-(10,000) are true for the same reason. But, the conclusion is obviously false. So, the paradox here is, again, a seemingly sound argument with a false conclusion. II. The Heart of the Matter The heart of the Heap paradox is captured in three assertions each of which seems true: a. small changes don’t make for a difference in the application of soritical predicates like ‘…is a heap’ or ‘…is bald.’ b. large changes do make for a difference in the application of such predicates, c. a large change is nothing more than a large number of small changes. But as the Soritical argument seems to show, the triad (a)-(c) is inconsistent, i.e., all of its members cannot be true together. III. Formal