h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You may well know this paradox:

On one side of a strip of paper is written "the statement on the other side of this paper is true".
On the other side of the paper is written "the statement on the other side of this paper is false".

A well known paradox.

Now turn the piece of paper into a mobius strip. What are you left with? Other than confusion?

Well, as the other side of the piece of paper does not, in fact, exist, you then can split this paradox into two:


1. If the message on the strip is:

"the statement on the other side of this paper is true".

Then the truth of the message does not exist, therefore the statement is negated, and the statement then becomes:

"the statement on the other side of this paper is false".

Which is true.
_______________

2. If the message on the strip is:

"the statement on the other side of this paper is false".

Then the falseness of of the message does not exist, therefore the statement is again negated, and the statement becomes:

"the statement on the other side of this paper is true".

Which is true.
_______________

Therefore, the paradox is true, in both cases.

When you have a mobius strip, the message written on it is always true. Its just as if you wrote on a two sided piece of paper: "this message is true", and "this message is false". In both cases the message would be true.