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Sorites Paradox


Sorites paradoxes are a class of paradoxical arguments also known as little-by-little arguments. The name "sorites" derives from the Greek word soros, meaning "pile" or "heap." Sorites paradoxes are exemplified by the problem that a single grain of wheat does not comprise a heap, nor do two grains of wheat, three grains of wheat, etc. However, at some point, the collection of grains becomes large enough to be called a heap, but there is apparently no definite point where this occurs.


See also

Unexpected Hanging Paradox

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References

Erickson, G. W. and Fossa, J. A. Dictionary of Paradox. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, pp. 196-199, 1998.

Referenced on Wolfram|Alpha

Sorites Paradox

Cite this as:

Weisstein, Eric W. "Sorites Paradox." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Web Resource. https://mathworld.wolfram.com/SoritesParadox.html

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