"The Impossible Yes-No Question - Can You Answer It?

[Mk]

What is a yes or no question that is impossible to answer with a no or yes? There has to be one!

 

[honestrosewater]

Is 'no' the answer to this question?

Assuming the normal meanings and that you meant truthfully answer with a 'yes' or 'no'.

 

[brudally]

...yes,

 

[mattmns]

I don't think there is one.

It is like saying: Can you show me a dog that is not a dog.

 

[honestrosewater]

...yes,

Then 'no' is not the answer to the question.

 

[honestrosewater]

I don't think there is one.

It is like saying: Can you show me a dog that is not a dog.

I think that

Is 'no' the answer to this question?

is what Mk is after. Try to answer it with a 'yes' or 'no'.

 

[Mk]

Ahh, yes that is what I am after.

 

[brudally]

MK is confused because he is wondering if there is one, and I say Yes, which means there is one.
But what question needs to be answered ?

 

[Mk]

Or:

Is yes the answer to this question?

Totally original.

 

[brudally]

Well, that is the question.

 

[honestrosewater]

Who is on first!

Sorry. Let Q denote the question

Is 'no' the answer to this question?​

I think Q is the question Mk was looking for.

 

[EnumaElish]

What is a yes or no question that is impossible to answer with a no or yes? There has to be one!

"Can you say you stole this old lady's purse or be honest?" (Criminal court cross-examination question.)

 

[djeipa]

Who is on first!

Sorry. Let Q denote the question

Is 'no' the answer to this question?​

I think Q is the question Mk was looking for.

 

[djeipa]

Or:

Is yes the answer to this question?

Totally original.

Absolutely, yes, the answer to that question.

 

[Emieno]

You should have misunderstood that short post, I believe.

 

[Lisa!]

Is there a yes or no question that is impossible to answer with a yes or no?

 

[zoobyshoe]

What is a yes or no question that is impossible to answer with a no or yes? There has to be one!

Are you studying up on how to drive yourself crazy? PF has a nice Philosophy section for that.

 

[honestrosewater]

Is there a yes or no question that is impossible to answer with a yes or no?

Well, because of the confusion, I wasn't going to mention this, but it would be nice to know how Mk defines a 'yes or no question'.
If Mk's definition is

x is a yes or no question iff x can be answered with either a yes or a no but not both​

which seems reasonable, then the answer to the original question is of course 'no'. (If x cannot be answered with either a yes or a no but not both, then x is not a yes or no question.)

 

[Lisa!]

Well, because of the confusion, I wasn't going to mention this,

Yes, I thought for a few minutes about the answer of this question and it was really confusing. Anyway I think this question has an answer anyway. I like trick y questions a lot but I don't think this 1 would be 1 of them!

 

[EnumaElish]

Random emoticons from djeipa...

 

[Lisa!]

Random emoticons from djeipa...

I don't know what's going on in this forum because he's always !

 

[EnumaElish]

I don't know what's going on in this forum because he's always !

Yeah, first there were the "Ohhh"s and the "Ahh"s, then an admittance of being high, then comes the blush. (It all started after your scary test made djeipa swallow a piece of gum.)

 

[EnumaElish]

You should have misunderstood that short post, I believe.

Do you mean djeipa miunderstood? I do not think so. The answer to "Is 'yes' the answer to this question?" is tautologically "yes."

 

[gravenewworld]

whenever a girl asks you "Do you like my new haircut?"

yes or no is never the right answer because if you say yes, you are just saying it to be nice, if you say no, then you are a jerk.

 

[Moonbear]

A yes/no question that would be impossible to answer with a yes/no would be a complex question or that includes conditions that are not true.

"Did you know that you were being watched while you were breaking into the blue car?"

If you weren't breaking into a car, or it was a green car rather than a blue car, how do you answer that question?

 

[EnumaElish]

whenever a girl asks you "Do you like my new haircut?"

Not to mention all her questions meant to be statements; taking them as questions and attempting to answer them is actually dragging your feet for not doing what you are clearly being hinted at. You'd better get acting on it.

 

[gurkhawarhorse]

i have a friend she always comes to sit close to me and tries to hug me i don't love her but my friends tell me that the girl fancies me :! and she is going to ask me if i like her or not soon. i don't know what i am going to say . yes or no?
and, i love someone else.
if i say :no, then i hurt her. yes, then i hurt myself.
i will say no but don't know how. can anyone help me?

 

[EnumaElish]

A yes/no question that would be impossible to answer with a yes/no would be a complex question or that includes conditions that are not true.

"Did you know that you were being watched while you were breaking into the blue car?"

If you weren't breaking into a car, or it was a green car rather than a blue car, how do you answer that question?

"Are you still abusing your financial responsibilities?"

"No."

"So you've stopped?"

 

[Moonbear]

Not to mention all her questions meant to be statements; taking them as questions and attempting to answer them is actually dragging your feet for not doing what you are clearly being hinted at. You'd better get acting on it.

Oh, you mean the ones like, "Don't you think it's time to take the trash out?" or "Couldn't you watch TV some other time?" or "Can't you ever pick up after yourself?"

 

[EnumaElish]

i have a friend she always comes to sit close to me and tries to hug me i don't love her but my friends tell me that the girl fancies me :! and she is going to ask me if i like her or not soon. i don't know what i am going to say . yes or no?
and, i love someone else.
if i say :no, then i hurt her. yes, then i hurt myself.
i will say no but don't know how. can anyone help me?

You can always say "yes" then drag your feet to act on the implications. (The passive aggressive approach.) But if you don't care about her feelings, or you think she can "take it" or should learn how to, then just say the truth: "I really like you as a friend but I am in a relationship right now."