The
Tristram Shandy paradox has its origins
in an eighteenth century Lawrence Sterne’s
novel "The Life and Opinions of
Tristram Shandy, Gentleman". The
storyteller, Tristram Shandy, was attempting
to write his autobiography. However,
it took him one year to record the events
of a single day of his life. Tristram
bewailed that, at this rate, he would
never finish.
Bertrand Russell argued that if Tristram
Shandy were immortal, and that he would
be able to finish his autobiography.
Russell's objection that Tristram would
be able to complete this task is the
source of the Tristram Shandy paradox.
Let us do not discuss Russell’s supposition
about Tristram Shandy’s immortality,
and consider paradox from the mathematical
point of view only.
There
is a one-to-one correspondence between
each year that Tristram Shandy writes
in and each day he writes about.
1
day |
2
days |
3
days |
4
days |
5
days |
... |
n
days |
... |
 |
|
|
|
|
... |
|
... |
1
year |
2
years |
3
years |
4
years |
5
years |
... |
n
years |
... |
Therefore,
no matter what day of his life we consider,
there will eventually come a year in
which he will be able to write about
it.
by
Tetyana Butler
