A certain intellectual, a scientist with a well-trained mind, once came to a village. He wanted, as an exercise and amusement, to find out how different the opinions of the inhabitants of this locality could be on the same subject. Entering the caravanserai, he asked the people sitting there who was the most truthful person in their village and who was the most inveterate liar. Everyone unanimously recognized the villager Kazab as the biggest liar, and Rastgu as the most truthful person. The scientist visited both, asking each of them the same question:
— What is the best way to get to the next village?
Rastga the Truthful advised to go along the mountain road. Kazab the Liar also pointed to the mountain road. This, of course, greatly puzzled the researcher. Then he addressed this question to other residents of the village. Some said that the best way to get there was by river. Others are across the valley. Still others also advised going through the mountains. So, he took the mountain road, but now another goal was added to the main goal of his journey - to find out at all costs why the answers of the most truthful and the most deceitful coincided. Having reached the next village, the scientist stopped at an inn and told his story, ending with these words:
- Of course, the main logical mistake I made was that I asked ignorant people to indicate the truthful and the liar. I got here perfectly by mountain road.
One wise man who heard his story said:
— It should be admitted that blindness is inherent in logically thinking people. Therefore, they have to turn to others for help. But this case is explained not only by this. The point is this: the easiest way here is the river, which is why the liar advised to take the mountain road. The truthful man was not only truthful - he noticed that you have a donkey on which you can easily overcome the mountain range. The liar turned out to be inattentive; That's why he didn't think about the fact that you didn't have a boat - otherwise he would have advised you to get there by river.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru