How many grains of sand can be removed before this stops being a dune?
One by one I've been writing little posts about these thought experiments for quite a while now. It sure didn't feel like any single post changed my view of philosophy. And yet...
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A Political Broadcast by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Lord Sorites
These are taxing times for our country. The last government left us with run-down public finances and the need to raise extra revenue. But you, the people, do not want to have to foot the bill. So how can we raise the money we need without making you feel pain?
The answer is simple. Focus groups, opinion polls, and economists have shown that charging an extra 0.01 percent tax has a negligible effect on personal income. No one who is comfortably off is made to struggle, no one rich is made poor, no one already struggling is made to struggle more, by paying 0.01 percent extra on their tax bill.
So today we are raising income tax by 0.01 percent. And logically, since this small amount makes as little difference to the person who earns 0.01 percent less than you as it does to you, we can repeat the step tomorrow, when you are in the position of that insignificantly poorer person. And so the next day, and the next, for the next 300 days.
Each time we raise taxes, we do so in a way that makes no difference to your quality of life. And so your quality of life will not be affected. Yet, miraculously, the net effect of these measures will be a large increase in government revenue, which we intend to use to cut the national debt and still have enough change left to buy everyone in the country a drink. We hope you will use it to toast to our ingenuity.
Source: The ancient Sorites paradox, attributed to Eubulides of Miletus, 4th century BCE.
Baggini, J., The Pig That Wants to Be Eaten, 2005, p. 280.
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What do you think? When exactly do incremental changes make a big difference? I'll be back on Friday with a quick answer to this one. In the meantime, please leave your thoughts on this in the comment section below. It may not seem worth it to you, but collectively your ideas have really added up.
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A Political Broadcast by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Lord Sorites
These are taxing times for our country. The last government left us with run-down public finances and the need to raise extra revenue. But you, the people, do not want to have to foot the bill. So how can we raise the money we need without making you feel pain?
The answer is simple. Focus groups, opinion polls, and economists have shown that charging an extra 0.01 percent tax has a negligible effect on personal income. No one who is comfortably off is made to struggle, no one rich is made poor, no one already struggling is made to struggle more, by paying 0.01 percent extra on their tax bill.
So today we are raising income tax by 0.01 percent. And logically, since this small amount makes as little difference to the person who earns 0.01 percent less than you as it does to you, we can repeat the step tomorrow, when you are in the position of that insignificantly poorer person. And so the next day, and the next, for the next 300 days.
Each time we raise taxes, we do so in a way that makes no difference to your quality of life. And so your quality of life will not be affected. Yet, miraculously, the net effect of these measures will be a large increase in government revenue, which we intend to use to cut the national debt and still have enough change left to buy everyone in the country a drink. We hope you will use it to toast to our ingenuity.
Source: The ancient Sorites paradox, attributed to Eubulides of Miletus, 4th century BCE.
Baggini, J., The Pig That Wants to Be Eaten, 2005, p. 280.
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What do you think? When exactly do incremental changes make a big difference? I'll be back on Friday with a quick answer to this one. In the meantime, please leave your thoughts on this in the comment section below. It may not seem worth it to you, but collectively your ideas have really added up.
