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Topic: Native Execution (Read 766 times) |
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Puzzled
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Native Execution
« on: Sep 17th, 2004, 11:44am » |
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A man is captured by some natives. The natives tell the man "You may make a statement. If the statement is a lie, you will be burnt at the stake. If it is true, you will be boiled in oil." The man thinks a moment, then says something to them and they set him free. What does he say? I'm usually good with these puzzles, but this one has got me! Thanks!
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| « Last Edit: Sep 17th, 2004, 6:47pm by Icarus » |
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Padzok
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Re: Here's a Tough One Asked to Me By the Boss!
« Reply #1 on: Sep 17th, 2004, 12:40pm » |
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"You will burn me at the stake"
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Puzzled
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Re: Here's a Tough One Asked to Me By the Boss!
« Reply #2 on: Sep 17th, 2004, 1:13pm » |
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Amazing! Thanks!
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Three Hands
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Re: Native Execution
« Reply #3 on: Sep 21st, 2004, 8:59am » |
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Either that or nothing - after all, there appears to be no outcome if he refuses to make a statement...
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Speaker
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Re: Native Execution
« Reply #4 on: Sep 23rd, 2004, 10:09pm » |
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The little known, but equally deadly third alternative, "We will boil you at the stake with burning oil!" 
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They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. <Ben Franklin>
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Avrom Roy-Faderman
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I've never understood why this would make the natives let the man go free. Letting him go free requires them to violate their promise ("If it is a lie, you will be burnt at the stake") just as much as boiling him in oil does.
Basically, the man has made liars out of the natives. There's nothing they can do (including releasing him) to prevent this; they might as well kill him anyway.
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Grimbal
wu::riddles Moderator
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Re: Native Execution
« Reply #6 on: Oct 8th, 2004, 3:39pm » |
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Speaker is right. They just can do both.
"If A then B" is always true when B is true. So, if they boil the guy in oil and burn him at the stake afterwards, they told the truth, whether the statement was true, false of somewhere in the gray.
It also helps with questions like: "The number of prime numbers smaller than one gogolplex is odd". Is it true?
Maybe that is what they planned to do anyway. 
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