Liar Paradox According to Three Logicians: Athīr al-Ḍīn al-Abharī, Ṣadr al-Dīn al-Dashtakī and Jalāl Al-Dīn al-Dawwānī

Abstract

Jadhr al-Aṣam or Liar Paradox is one of the oldest paradoxes known to men dating back to Ancient Greece. The paradox made it to the Islamic tradition through logic, theology, and philosophical works. The Liar Paradox demonstrates the weakness of natural language and also affects how our minds understand truth and falsity. The objective of this study is to demonstrate the richness of Islamic scholarship through the discussion of the solutions from this ancient paradox and to help push for a new age of logical thinking and discussion. This is a study of related literature, library research- based. In addition, the analysis is based on the writings of Islamic logicians with some supplementations from Western scholarships. The findings indicate that it's true that the discussion of this paradox is rich even when we are just focusing on Islamic tradition but it's also not a hint of a conclusive solution for all versions of Liar Paradoxes.