The Paradox Rule
in Philosophy ·
Every rule has an exception, which actually proves the premise that the rule about rules still holds up. 🧐
Let me give you a very specific example to illustrate this point:
Boris represents the average white guy, sporting a length of 7.2 inches.
Mark is the representative sample of a mixed-race guy, and he’s sitting at 7 inches.
Zdenek is the quintessential rice eater, coming in at 6.6 inches.
Mirsad is a non-representative outlier from the minority community, measuring 7.5 inches.
Bo is the representative sample of a Black man, clocking in at 10 inches.
Based on those numbers, a layman would jump to the conclusion that the human average falls somewhere between 6.5 and 10 inches. That would seemingly support your other argument—that the rule about rules doesn't actually work. Because, you see, there wouldn't be an exception. Everything would just be exact statistical proof.
However, if we were to factor in Sven, who is essentially an albino Black man and someone who systematically avoids these kinds of surveys, and who measures in at a staggering 19 to 26 inches... 🙂 🙂, the whole picture changes instantly, doesn't it? At that point, the rule about rules holds true once again, because he is precisely THAT exception that validates the principle multiple times over. 😉
Let me give you a very specific example to illustrate this point:
Boris represents the average white guy, sporting a length of 7.2 inches.
Mark is the representative sample of a mixed-race guy, and he’s sitting at 7 inches.
Zdenek is the quintessential rice eater, coming in at 6.6 inches.
Mirsad is a non-representative outlier from the minority community, measuring 7.5 inches.
Bo is the representative sample of a Black man, clocking in at 10 inches.
Based on those numbers, a layman would jump to the conclusion that the human average falls somewhere between 6.5 and 10 inches. That would seemingly support your other argument—that the rule about rules doesn't actually work. Because, you see, there wouldn't be an exception. Everything would just be exact statistical proof.
However, if we were to factor in Sven, who is essentially an albino Black man and someone who systematically avoids these kinds of surveys, and who measures in at a staggering 19 to 26 inches... 🙂 🙂, the whole picture changes instantly, doesn't it? At that point, the rule about rules holds true once again, because he is precisely THAT exception that validates the principle multiple times over. 😉