| _version_ | 1866902092808978432 |
|---|---|
| author | Gillmore, Simon Benjamin |
| author_facet | Gillmore, Simon Benjamin |
| contents | <p>This short paper presents the <em>Simon Gillmore Paradox</em>, a novel example of a dialogical or rhetorical paradox in which the relationship between affirmation and denial is deliberately inverted to create a self-confirming outcome.</p> <p>The paradox can be expressed as follows:<br><em>“If you tell me I am the most intelligent person in the world, that means I am not. Any other response means that I am.”</em></p> <p>Within this conversational frame, all possible replies entail the speaker’s preferred conclusion, demonstrating how linguistic rules can be designed to enforce closure without genuine logical necessity.</p> <p>The <em>Simon Gillmore Paradox</em> extends the family of rhetorical paradoxes related to the <strong>Liar Paradox</strong>, <strong>Morton’s Fork</strong>, and <strong>Catch-22</strong>, while focusing on <strong>speech-act dependency</strong> rather than truth-value contradiction.</p> <p>The paradox illustrates how conversational framing can simulate logic, and it offers practical value for teaching reasoning, analysing persuasive language, and understanding self-referential loops in AI dialogue systems.</p> <p><strong>Author:</strong> Simon Gillmore (Independent researcher, United Kingdom)<br><strong>Keywords:</strong> dialogical paradox, self-reference, rhetoric, conversational logic, Morton’s fork, liar paradox, persuasion, AI safety</p> |
| format | Recurso digital |
| id | zenodo_https___doi_org_10_5281_zenodo_17334824 |
| institution | Zenodo |
| language | eng |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publisher | Zenodo |
| record_format | zenodo |
| spellingShingle | The Simon Gillmore Paradox: A Dialogical Trap of Self-Confirming Negation Gillmore, Simon Benjamin dialogical paradox, self-reference, rhetoric, conversational logic, Morton's fork, liar paradox, persuasion, AI safety <p>This short paper presents the <em>Simon Gillmore Paradox</em>, a novel example of a dialogical or rhetorical paradox in which the relationship between affirmation and denial is deliberately inverted to create a self-confirming outcome.</p> <p>The paradox can be expressed as follows:<br><em>“If you tell me I am the most intelligent person in the world, that means I am not. Any other response means that I am.”</em></p> <p>Within this conversational frame, all possible replies entail the speaker’s preferred conclusion, demonstrating how linguistic rules can be designed to enforce closure without genuine logical necessity.</p> <p>The <em>Simon Gillmore Paradox</em> extends the family of rhetorical paradoxes related to the <strong>Liar Paradox</strong>, <strong>Morton’s Fork</strong>, and <strong>Catch-22</strong>, while focusing on <strong>speech-act dependency</strong> rather than truth-value contradiction.</p> <p>The paradox illustrates how conversational framing can simulate logic, and it offers practical value for teaching reasoning, analysing persuasive language, and understanding self-referential loops in AI dialogue systems.</p> <p><strong>Author:</strong> Simon Gillmore (Independent researcher, United Kingdom)<br><strong>Keywords:</strong> dialogical paradox, self-reference, rhetoric, conversational logic, Morton’s fork, liar paradox, persuasion, AI safety</p> |
| title | The Simon Gillmore Paradox: A Dialogical Trap of Self-Confirming Negation |
| topic | dialogical paradox, self-reference, rhetoric, conversational logic, Morton's fork, liar paradox, persuasion, AI safety |
| url | https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17334824 |