Karen Moore's Paradox

I would like to assert that the problem of Moore’s Paradox—the instinctual contradiction—is perhaps not exactly what we think it is: a discrepancy or inconsistency of belief or claim, but instead, perhaps, it is merely a verbalization of a result that is intrinsic to beings that can think of (about) themselves and for themselves; and that the perceived contradiction stems from a normative claim being made about belief that, in fact, should not be made. Moore’s problem, to briefly summarize, is that there is a contradiction in the phrase(s): p is true, but I do not believe p and p is true, but I believe not p. The contradiction seems to be in that asserting the truth of p, one must also believe p. It seems absurd to think that we can believe …show more content…
An example of this: a young girl likes—nay—loves pasta. This young girl has pasta at every possible chance that she can, all the while not engaging in any sort of exercise activities to counter the high intake of calories and carbohydrates. Yet, she tells herself that she is not going to develop unsightly cellulite or become overweight in any sense. From the outside, one would say that this girl is deceiving herself. This, I believe, is not the case or the problem presented by Moore’s …show more content…
Moore’s Paradox is not a problem of contradiction, but of looking at the painting upside down. The problem is the failure to recognize that as cognitive beings, we can think about ourselves and others as well as think for ourselves, allowing us to think about something’s truth value and also think about our thought/beliefs toward that thing. To illustrate this point a little further, let’s talk about Bruce Lee. It is true that Bruce Lee died in July of 1973, substantiating and verifying the claim that he is mortal. However, I do not believe that he is mortal. As a cognitive being, I am presented with the truth/fact of the situation, which I accept. In order to determine my own thoughts and beliefs of this particular fact, I should think solely about that fact and analyze it, before coming to a conclusion. As stated previously, my belief is that Bruce Lee is not mortal. I do not believe that Bruce Lee’s life—life being the opposite of death, and death being a ceasing to exist—was subject to death, nor do I believe that his existence is non-permanent or non-enduring, despite having access to the fact that he is dead. Simply, Moore’s Paradox is the result of the human mind’s ability to know itself. Perhaps more precisely, the human mind’s ability to separate what it believes from what it knows is true, and to recognize this