liar paradox

philosophy A sentence which asserts its own falsity,

e.g. "This sentence is false" or "I am lying". These

paradoxical assertions are meaningless in the sense that there

is nothing in the world which could serve to either support or

refute them. Philosophers, of course, have a great deal more

to say on the subject.

["The Liar: an Essay on Truth and Circularity", Jon Barwise

and John Etchemendy, Oxford University Press (1987). ISBN

0-19-505944-1 (PBK), Library of Congress BC199.P2B37].

(1995-02-22)