Is this a good way out of the basic liar paradox?

Question

"This sentence is a lie." Very famous paradox. If the statement is a lie, then it is telling the truth. But if it is the truth, then it must be a lie.

A while back I was thinking about this statement, and I feel as though I have found a way out of it. First, some definitions:

1. "Truth" means the conformity of the intellect to reality.

2. "Lie" means a communication that describes reality in a way other than it actually is.

Particular things, like Aristotle says in his Categories, cannot be either true nor false. You cannot say, "This horse is a lie," or "This fly is the truth." You have to say something like, "That the horse is purple is a lie". A subject, independent of at least one other predicate, cannot be predicated of "truth" or "falsehood".

"Sentence" is a subject. Unless we can predicate it of something predicable of "sentence" (taken as an independent subject), we cannot meaningfully predicate "sentence" of truth or falsehood.

Is my reasoning good?

Answer 1

Hmm ... it's been a long time since Aristotle and I have had a conversation ... but I'll try.

"True" and "false" are not predicates of horses and flies, but they are predicates of sentences.   A predicate is something that can be true about the subject ... and "That sentence is true" can be true, and "That sentence is false" can also be true ... so "is true" and "is false" are valid predicates of the subject "that sentence".   The question is whether they can be predicates of "this sentence."   I don't see why not.

Answer 2

Your reasoning is your own reasoning and if it makes sense to you and seems complete then it is good.

"This is the first lie I have ever told" is the version that does my head in. You can think and think and think it over but in the end, it is what it is and there is no way out.

Answer 3

i see the reasoning. i say i agree with you. its just like proving 1=2. here's the process:

Let a=b

a^2=ab

a^2+a^2=ab+a^2

2a^2-2ab=a^2+ab-2ab

2(a^2-ab)=1(a^2-ab)

so by dividing by (a^2-ab), you get 1=2.

Answer 4

Or if someone says "This sentence is a lie.", you ask "What Sentence?".

That's how you get out of it.  I give you points for thinking, but I deduct some for over analyzing it.