The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #155336   Message #3653533
Posted By: Nigel Parsons
24-Aug-14 - 12:26 PM
Thread Name: Folklore: Lying Baptists and truth-telling Baptist
Subject: RE: Folklore: Lying Baptists and truth-telling Baptist
"Suppose a man has five children. The Indians come and kill four of them, the fifth one being hidden near by. The savages then ask the father if he has another child. Would he be justifiable in telling them that he had not?"
For those who insist that truth is an absolute, the question should never arise, as the father has a third option of not responding, albeit at the risk of his own life.