Bystrov, P. I. A Word about Smullyan and his ‘Nightmare’

Abstract: This essay written by Smullyan touches upon a very deep problem of self-reflection and analysis of our own ‘self’. Where from do we know that we know this or that? We may choose to trust or mistrust someone else’s opinion. But can we actually trust our own beliefs or someone else’s opinion about our beliefs? Let’s suppose that we need an exact observer, or intelligent machine, in order to make final assessment of our knowledge, skills, beliefs and etc. But can we actually guarantee that such a machine is always right and it cannot go crazy just like human? Can anyone deceive the ‘lie detector’ and can we actually trust this machine? It is quite clear that creation of a ‘truth detector’ for a ‘lie detector’ would not solve the problem. These are the issues Smullyan’s essay are devoted to. The author of the article hopes that the philosophical fantasy described here will be of interest not only to epistemologists but also to psycho analytics.

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