Time was running out in the cup final and both teams were level. Then suddenly Peter got the ball and he kicked it hard. His powerful kick sent the ball flying into the net. The goal gave his team the lead.
      Seconds later the referee blew his whistle. Peter and his teammates hugged each other. They had won and they were champions! While waiting to be given the trophy, reporters crowded around Peter.
      "Well done, Peter!" one reporter cried out. "That was an amazing goal. What were you thinking?"
      "Sometimes an action that you did not plan can be rewarding," said Peter. "And today was my lucky day."
      Another reporter asked: "How do you feel now?"
      Peter answered: "Great! I scored the goal that won us the trophy. But I can't believe I did that!"
      The reporter shook his head and followed up: "You scored, but you can't believe you did?"
      Peter felt a bit puzzled but said: "Well ... yes, that's what I am thinking."
      "But isn't it strange?" the reporter said. "I mean, how can you say you scored a goal but can't believe you did?"
      "What you said is interesting," Peter replied. "But isn't it common? For example, the weather forecast was for rain on Tuesday. But it turned out to be sunny. Having heard the forecast, I didn't believe it was sunny, even though it was."
      "Peter, I see what you mean," the reporter said. "But it's a different thing if you say it out loud! It was sunny but you didn't believe it was. I can accept that. But if it goes like this: 'Peter said it was sunny but Peter didn't believe it was', it is more or less the same as you know it was sunny but you don't believe it was. How is that possible?" (Based on Moore's Paradox)

      Questions
      1. What did Peter do?
      2. What did the reporter find strange?

      Think about it
  According to the Moore's Paradox, to say "I scored a goal, but I can't believe I did!" is to say two contradictory things. Peter did score a goal. There is proof of it. But he expresses a belief, that he did not score a goal, and he is confident about it. Indirectly he uses his strong belief as proof. The two things cannot together be true.

 

      Answers 1. He scored a goal that won the game.
      2. That Peter scored a goal but could not believe he did.

      Text: Raymond Chan  Illustration: William Ma