THE CROCODILE PARADOX
A crocodile snatches a young boy from a riverbank. His mother pleads with the crocodile to return him, to which the crocodile replies that he will only return the boy safely if the mother can guess correctly whether or not he will indeed return the boy. There is no problem if the mother guesses that the crocodile will return him—if she is right, he is returned; if she is wrong, the crocodile keeps him. If she answers that the crocodile will not return him, however, we end up with a paradox: if she is right and the crocodile never intended to return her child, then the crocodile has to return him, but in doing so breaks his word and contradicts the mother’s answer. On the other hand, if she is wrong and the crocodile actually did intend to return the boy, the crocodile must then keep him even though he intended not to, thereby also breaking his word.
The Crocodile Paradox is such an ancient and enduring logic problem that in the Middle Ages the word “crocodilite” came to be used to refer to any similarly brain-twisting dilemma where you admit something that is later used against you, while “crocodility” is an equally ancient word for captious or fallacious reasoning
There is no solution to the crocodile paradox.
If it keeps the child, it violates its rule, as the mother had predicted correctly.
If the crocodile returns the child, it still violates its rule as the mother’s prediction was wrong.
Your Answer
More puzzles to try-
What is written in the image?
Can you read what is written in the image? Can you fry this puzzle in First attempt?Read More »Make you smile
It can bring tears to your eyes; breathe new life into the dead, make you smile, and reverse time. It ...Read More »Find the odd Car
Optical Illusion: People with hawk eyes can spot a different car in 5 seconds. Can you? Test your vision now!Read More »Word can be read the same upside down
What five letter word typed in all capital letters can be read the same upside down ?Read More »Pints of beer
An infinite number of mathematicians are standing behind a bar. The first asks the barman for half a pint of ...Read More »Forest Pet
It changes when scared. It is in a popular movie. Its tongue is long. What is it?Read More »Which is heavier?
Which is heavier? A pound of feathers, or a pound of rocks?Read More »Flipping Coins Puzzle
There are twenty coins sitting on the table, ten are currently heads and tens are currently tails. You are sitting ...Read More »Solve the Rebus meaning
Solve the rebus below.Read More »Bluer than sky
What is whiter than the first snow, redder than the blood of the righteous, greener than the spring grass, bluer ...Read More »You want me and also don\’t want me riddle
When you don\’t have me, you want me, but when you do have me, you want to give me away. ...Read More »Three number series puzzle
Can you find the next three numbers in the given series? 4, 6, 12, 18, 30, 42, 60, 72, 102, ...Read More »Food Cooked inside
My favourite food is one you throw out the outside and cook the inside. what food is it ?Read More »Place the Pluses
How many pluses should we put between the digits of 987,654,321 to get a total of 99, and where?Read More »Hanging in a Room
A man is found hanging dead from the ceiling of a room. The room’s dimensions are 15 x 15 x ...Read More »Make Two Square
In the picture that is attached with this question, you can find a square which comprises of four little squares ...Read More »Fisherman riddle
A fisherman decided to become a golfer. In order to buy his membership he had to sell his boat. How ...Read More »I fill a whole room, who am I?
I stand in one place yet I fill a whole room. I can be filled with molten rock and come ...Read More »Shorter she grows riddle
Big fancy thoughts, in a white Petticoats and a red nose, The longer she stands, the shorter she grows !Read More »Four Letter Word riddle
Which four-letter word can be written forward, backward or upside down, and can still be read from left to right ...Read More »