A man walks up to you and says:
"Everything I say to you is a lie."

Is he telling you the truth or is he lying?

The man cannot be speaking the truth because that would make his statement a lie.
If he is lying the negative of his statement is true. The negative of 'everything' is not 'nothing', which is what makes this statement seem like a paradox. If he is lying, the truth is that 'some things he says are lies', including the statement quoted.
The man is lying.
The statement is not a paradox.

Posted by Aparna Tulpule on 2002-11-15 21:09:34