Can't believe how close Christmas is! As I'm away next week until the new year, I'm going to be posting a lot this week to make up for my absence... and what better way to start as I mean to go on, than with the first of four philosophical Christmas paradox puzzles from the author of This Sentence is False, Peter Cave. Hope you've got your Christmas thinking hats on (a paper one from a cracker will do!)
Carly
IN THE CLUB?
Yuletide party tide again – and Griselda, the club’s secretary, was aggrieved. She was secretary to an exclusive club that never invited its secretaries to its swish Christmas Dinners. Griselda knew many other secretaries – male and female – in the same boat.
‘Right,’ decided Gris, ‘We’ll form our own club exclusively for all secretaries who are ineligible to go to the Christmas Dinners of the clubs they work for.’
‘Oh dear, not wise,’ muttered pessimistic Penelope, shaking her head.
‘I can’t understand why you’re so gloomy about the venture,’ said Griselda and she went ahead with her plan. Her secretarial friends, all ineligible to go to their clubs’ dinners, felt Griselda’s club was an excellent idea and eagerly joined. They planned some splendid Christmas Dinners for all their members and only their members. ‘We’re liberated secretaries: Lib Secs!’
News of the Lib Secs club spread. Soon so many secretaries were members that the club felt the need to employ a secretary. ‘Oh dear, I wouldn’t do that,’ groaned pessimistic Penelope – but her groans were ignored and the club ended up employing Miss Take.
Once employed, Miss Take immediately asked, ‘May I join Lib Secs and come along to your dinners?’
Well, does the club permit her to?
Peter Cave, 2009
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