Years ago when I was a grad student, a professor talked about the prudential paradox in Plato, the idea that no one, despite appearances, ever acts contrary to what they believe to be best for them. After class, I ran into a friend, and I asked him if he had heard of this paradox, and he responded as follows: “What is that? The paradox that wonders whether God could create a rock so big he couldn’t insure it?” Appreciating this depends on knowing that there is a company called Prudential Insurance that uses as its symbol the Rock of Gibraltar. And it also depends on knowing about the paradox of the stone, which wonders whether God could create a stone so heavy he couldn’t lift it.
This is one of the funniest things I’ve ever heard in philosophy, and it was produced completely spontaneously, too.
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01/24/2012
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prudential paradox in Plato that really sound hilarious to me -_-
Posted by: Essay Writing | 01/25/2012 at 01:07 AM