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Everything Bob says is false. How does he get people to trust him?


Everything Joe says is true. How can he get around it?Everything Joe says will become true. Can anybody notice?Everything Joe says is true. How can he most help humanity?Everything Joe says is true. How can he get around it?Everything Joe says is true. How can he most help humanity?Turns out spider man is real. How long until people accept it?How does the UK government react to a worldwide supernatural event?Everything Joe says will become true. Can anybody notice?How to stop someone who can create strong illusions. (without killing him)How it make him able to fight metahumans while not making him a metahumanHow does a super-power salesman not get shut down for legal reasons?What society/government would be stable if people get superpowers randomly?If everyone has telekinesis, how would people fight? (1v1, wars, etc)













4












$begingroup$


I was looking at the questions where Everything Joe says is true and I thought it would be interesting to explore the inverse superpower.



Bob isn't just a pathological liar, but if he says a true statement, the fabric of reality will be altered to make his statement false in some way. This takes the path of least resistance and will alter as little as possible to make his statements observably false, so for instance if he states that you scored 99/100 on a test (and you did), your score would suddenly become 98 or 100. If Bob states a paradox, nothing happens. People automatically disbelieve any statements he makes. In addition, this superpower is permanent and cannot be removed through anything he might say or any interaction with other superpowers that might exist. As an additional limitation, any statement that, if false, would harm himself or another human is nullified. He also cannot affect his own memory, personality, or desires through a falsified statement.



There are ways to manipulate this in his favor, such as stating the opposite of what he wants in the simplest way possible, but because as little as possible is changed, this can be tricky in some cases since only one detail of his statement must be false in order to render the entire statement technically false.



The problem is that it's hard to get anyone to trust you when you have a track record of only saying lies and nobody ever believes you. How does Bob build any sort of meaningful relationship of trust with anyone?










share|improve this question









$endgroup$











  • $begingroup$
    "The jury will decide that $BADGUY is innocent"
    $endgroup$
    – user535733
    1 hour ago











  • $begingroup$
    Simply warp the universe: "I know you're looking for a nice guy who always tells you the truth" or "You will be happier with him" or "I know how much truthfulness matters to you"
    $endgroup$
    – user535733
    1 hour ago











  • $begingroup$
    Speaking hypothetically, if Bob belonged to one of those churches where people give speeches about their faith and talked to the congregation about God being real and his faith in Jesus and the truth of the Holy Bible, what would happen? What about political movements? Or things like flat-earthers or anti-vax. Racism? This might be a really cool and powerful ability?
    $endgroup$
    – Ville Niemi
    49 mins ago











  • $begingroup$
    What happens when he says something that isn't a statement, like asks a question?
    $endgroup$
    – Muuski
    46 mins ago










  • $begingroup$
    What do you mean by a paradox? What if he says, "I think therefore I am". Does that become 'slightly' false?
    $endgroup$
    – chasly from UK
    39 mins ago















4












$begingroup$


I was looking at the questions where Everything Joe says is true and I thought it would be interesting to explore the inverse superpower.



Bob isn't just a pathological liar, but if he says a true statement, the fabric of reality will be altered to make his statement false in some way. This takes the path of least resistance and will alter as little as possible to make his statements observably false, so for instance if he states that you scored 99/100 on a test (and you did), your score would suddenly become 98 or 100. If Bob states a paradox, nothing happens. People automatically disbelieve any statements he makes. In addition, this superpower is permanent and cannot be removed through anything he might say or any interaction with other superpowers that might exist. As an additional limitation, any statement that, if false, would harm himself or another human is nullified. He also cannot affect his own memory, personality, or desires through a falsified statement.



There are ways to manipulate this in his favor, such as stating the opposite of what he wants in the simplest way possible, but because as little as possible is changed, this can be tricky in some cases since only one detail of his statement must be false in order to render the entire statement technically false.



The problem is that it's hard to get anyone to trust you when you have a track record of only saying lies and nobody ever believes you. How does Bob build any sort of meaningful relationship of trust with anyone?










share|improve this question









$endgroup$











  • $begingroup$
    "The jury will decide that $BADGUY is innocent"
    $endgroup$
    – user535733
    1 hour ago











  • $begingroup$
    Simply warp the universe: "I know you're looking for a nice guy who always tells you the truth" or "You will be happier with him" or "I know how much truthfulness matters to you"
    $endgroup$
    – user535733
    1 hour ago











  • $begingroup$
    Speaking hypothetically, if Bob belonged to one of those churches where people give speeches about their faith and talked to the congregation about God being real and his faith in Jesus and the truth of the Holy Bible, what would happen? What about political movements? Or things like flat-earthers or anti-vax. Racism? This might be a really cool and powerful ability?
    $endgroup$
    – Ville Niemi
    49 mins ago











  • $begingroup$
    What happens when he says something that isn't a statement, like asks a question?
    $endgroup$
    – Muuski
    46 mins ago










  • $begingroup$
    What do you mean by a paradox? What if he says, "I think therefore I am". Does that become 'slightly' false?
    $endgroup$
    – chasly from UK
    39 mins ago













4












4








4





$begingroup$


I was looking at the questions where Everything Joe says is true and I thought it would be interesting to explore the inverse superpower.



Bob isn't just a pathological liar, but if he says a true statement, the fabric of reality will be altered to make his statement false in some way. This takes the path of least resistance and will alter as little as possible to make his statements observably false, so for instance if he states that you scored 99/100 on a test (and you did), your score would suddenly become 98 or 100. If Bob states a paradox, nothing happens. People automatically disbelieve any statements he makes. In addition, this superpower is permanent and cannot be removed through anything he might say or any interaction with other superpowers that might exist. As an additional limitation, any statement that, if false, would harm himself or another human is nullified. He also cannot affect his own memory, personality, or desires through a falsified statement.



There are ways to manipulate this in his favor, such as stating the opposite of what he wants in the simplest way possible, but because as little as possible is changed, this can be tricky in some cases since only one detail of his statement must be false in order to render the entire statement technically false.



The problem is that it's hard to get anyone to trust you when you have a track record of only saying lies and nobody ever believes you. How does Bob build any sort of meaningful relationship of trust with anyone?










share|improve this question









$endgroup$




I was looking at the questions where Everything Joe says is true and I thought it would be interesting to explore the inverse superpower.



Bob isn't just a pathological liar, but if he says a true statement, the fabric of reality will be altered to make his statement false in some way. This takes the path of least resistance and will alter as little as possible to make his statements observably false, so for instance if he states that you scored 99/100 on a test (and you did), your score would suddenly become 98 or 100. If Bob states a paradox, nothing happens. People automatically disbelieve any statements he makes. In addition, this superpower is permanent and cannot be removed through anything he might say or any interaction with other superpowers that might exist. As an additional limitation, any statement that, if false, would harm himself or another human is nullified. He also cannot affect his own memory, personality, or desires through a falsified statement.



There are ways to manipulate this in his favor, such as stating the opposite of what he wants in the simplest way possible, but because as little as possible is changed, this can be tricky in some cases since only one detail of his statement must be false in order to render the entire statement technically false.



The problem is that it's hard to get anyone to trust you when you have a track record of only saying lies and nobody ever believes you. How does Bob build any sort of meaningful relationship of trust with anyone?







super-powers






share|improve this question













share|improve this question











share|improve this question




share|improve this question










asked 1 hour ago









BeefsterBeefster

432312




432312











  • $begingroup$
    "The jury will decide that $BADGUY is innocent"
    $endgroup$
    – user535733
    1 hour ago











  • $begingroup$
    Simply warp the universe: "I know you're looking for a nice guy who always tells you the truth" or "You will be happier with him" or "I know how much truthfulness matters to you"
    $endgroup$
    – user535733
    1 hour ago











  • $begingroup$
    Speaking hypothetically, if Bob belonged to one of those churches where people give speeches about their faith and talked to the congregation about God being real and his faith in Jesus and the truth of the Holy Bible, what would happen? What about political movements? Or things like flat-earthers or anti-vax. Racism? This might be a really cool and powerful ability?
    $endgroup$
    – Ville Niemi
    49 mins ago











  • $begingroup$
    What happens when he says something that isn't a statement, like asks a question?
    $endgroup$
    – Muuski
    46 mins ago










  • $begingroup$
    What do you mean by a paradox? What if he says, "I think therefore I am". Does that become 'slightly' false?
    $endgroup$
    – chasly from UK
    39 mins ago
















  • $begingroup$
    "The jury will decide that $BADGUY is innocent"
    $endgroup$
    – user535733
    1 hour ago











  • $begingroup$
    Simply warp the universe: "I know you're looking for a nice guy who always tells you the truth" or "You will be happier with him" or "I know how much truthfulness matters to you"
    $endgroup$
    – user535733
    1 hour ago











  • $begingroup$
    Speaking hypothetically, if Bob belonged to one of those churches where people give speeches about their faith and talked to the congregation about God being real and his faith in Jesus and the truth of the Holy Bible, what would happen? What about political movements? Or things like flat-earthers or anti-vax. Racism? This might be a really cool and powerful ability?
    $endgroup$
    – Ville Niemi
    49 mins ago











  • $begingroup$
    What happens when he says something that isn't a statement, like asks a question?
    $endgroup$
    – Muuski
    46 mins ago










  • $begingroup$
    What do you mean by a paradox? What if he says, "I think therefore I am". Does that become 'slightly' false?
    $endgroup$
    – chasly from UK
    39 mins ago















$begingroup$
"The jury will decide that $BADGUY is innocent"
$endgroup$
– user535733
1 hour ago





$begingroup$
"The jury will decide that $BADGUY is innocent"
$endgroup$
– user535733
1 hour ago













$begingroup$
Simply warp the universe: "I know you're looking for a nice guy who always tells you the truth" or "You will be happier with him" or "I know how much truthfulness matters to you"
$endgroup$
– user535733
1 hour ago





$begingroup$
Simply warp the universe: "I know you're looking for a nice guy who always tells you the truth" or "You will be happier with him" or "I know how much truthfulness matters to you"
$endgroup$
– user535733
1 hour ago













$begingroup$
Speaking hypothetically, if Bob belonged to one of those churches where people give speeches about their faith and talked to the congregation about God being real and his faith in Jesus and the truth of the Holy Bible, what would happen? What about political movements? Or things like flat-earthers or anti-vax. Racism? This might be a really cool and powerful ability?
$endgroup$
– Ville Niemi
49 mins ago





$begingroup$
Speaking hypothetically, if Bob belonged to one of those churches where people give speeches about their faith and talked to the congregation about God being real and his faith in Jesus and the truth of the Holy Bible, what would happen? What about political movements? Or things like flat-earthers or anti-vax. Racism? This might be a really cool and powerful ability?
$endgroup$
– Ville Niemi
49 mins ago













$begingroup$
What happens when he says something that isn't a statement, like asks a question?
$endgroup$
– Muuski
46 mins ago




$begingroup$
What happens when he says something that isn't a statement, like asks a question?
$endgroup$
– Muuski
46 mins ago












$begingroup$
What do you mean by a paradox? What if he says, "I think therefore I am". Does that become 'slightly' false?
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
39 mins ago




$begingroup$
What do you mean by a paradox? What if he says, "I think therefore I am". Does that become 'slightly' false?
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
39 mins ago










7 Answers
7






active

oldest

votes


















5












$begingroup$


There are seconds during this week/month/year that you will not trust me a bit. --Bob







share|improve this answer









$endgroup$












  • $begingroup$
    That's not really answering the question. That's more just a proof that Bob can force things to be true.
    $endgroup$
    – David
    1 hour ago






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    @David question is about how does he make people to trust him. If fabrics of reality makes what he says false then this statement is simplest, sure solution — there will not be a second someone does not trust him, so this person will trust him, problem solved.
    $endgroup$
    – Mołot
    1 hour ago










  • $begingroup$
    Fair enough, I didn't think about that.
    $endgroup$
    – David
    1 hour ago






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    This is rough though.. because due to the path of least resistance, you end up with people only trusting bob slightly more than a bit.
    $endgroup$
    – Dylan
    2 mins ago


















3












$begingroup$


There are ways to manipulate this in his favor, such as stating the opposite of what he wants in the simplest way possible, but because as little as possible is changed, this can be tricky in some cases since only one detail of his statement must be false in order to render the entire statement technically false.




Bob wants actually to state things not as simply as possible, since as you mentioned, this leads to several possible outcomes. He wants to state things as precise as possible.



"My net worth is at most 10 dollars", has the logical (and only possible) opposite "My net worth is more than 10 dollars" (and Bob will have net worth of 10.01 dollars if taking the path least resistance).



"The set of people who distrusts me is non empty" has opposite "The set of people who distrusts me is empty", i.e. no one distrusts Bob...






share|improve this answer








New contributor




maria_c is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






$endgroup$




















    1












    $begingroup$

    You kind of answered your own question, he can't remove this superpower by stating he has it so he can go up to anyone, explain the way the power works and then demonstrate it using some easy cases. People will be skeptical at first but will believe him after enough convincing examples.






    share|improve this answer









    $endgroup$




















      1












      $begingroup$

      NOTE: This answer assumes Bob cannot make people trust him simply by saying "You don't trust me".



      It's very easy to get people to trust him. Simply announce in a loud voice the opposite of what you want and soon people will pick up that the opposite will happen. If you want people to notice faster do it in a casino.



      It will take some time to fine-tune what to say, but this is essentially a wish granting power. You just have to phrase it a little weird.



      Your friends will all want you to say things like




      My company's value will go down




      Or




      It'll land on black




      Or




      Your marriage won't last




      Several economic indicators are like this. Things like more stocks being issued (IPOs) and more credit being available happens before a stock market crash. People watch these and try to time the market (but rarely succeed).



      The real curse is to say the truth but have no one believe you like Cassandra






      share|improve this answer











      $endgroup$












      • $begingroup$
        "In addition, this superpower is permanent and cannot be removed through anything he might say or any interaction with other superpowers that might exist."
        $endgroup$
        – Rob Watts
        35 mins ago


















      0












      $begingroup$

      Bob can be a superhero and become rich really easy.



      All he needs to do is to spread conspiracy theories.



      Bob says the Earth is flat. The Earth assumes a spherical geometry. Had Bob not used his power, we would eventually be suffocated by the giant elephants' magical freezing farts which keep the frozen barrier st the rim in place, or we would eventually be smashed by the cosmic turtle's sexual partner.



      Bob says aliens are abducting people and probing their cavities. Now the aliens can't do that - Bob is a one man X-com!



      Bob says planes leave out chemtrails that are used for mind control. Now they don't anymore! Take that, Illuminatti!



      And so on. The only conspiracy theories he can't defeat are vaccine and GMO related ones, because those can actually cause direct harm to people.



      So most everyone from the average Joe to the eggheads of our time will not trust Bob, but that's not a problem. He will have the undisputed and unwavering trust and loyalty of basically every Infowars follower. He can even take over Alex Jones's place and make huge loads of cash that way.



      Heck, Bob could even easily become the next republican president, and he would save the world from climate change by claiming that coal is cleaner than solar and wind power.






      share|improve this answer









      $endgroup$




















        0












        $begingroup$

        It is really simple.



        Don't try to make them believe you. Always tell the lie that they won't believe to get them to realize the truth.



        If your friend asks if you want to head out to dinner and you do, actually want to, say "no." Your friend will know that you can't tell the truth and know what you are saying.



        Once enough people know about the power, everyone will know that he has to speak that way.



        Also, he would be in high demand for anything that requires safety.



        Any time he gets on an airplane, all he has to say is "this plane will not land safely."



        He can be the benevolent doomsayer.






        share|improve this answer









        $endgroup$




















          0












          $begingroup$

          How linguistically savvy is this superpower? How linguistically savvy is Bob?



          I'm assuming here that Bob wants to communicate the truth and wants to be trusted. I'm also going to be treating the superpower as an antagonist to this goal.



          If the superpower can recognize the intent of his statements and will change the truth of the part he intends to communicate, he's kind of stuck (although maria_c's answer is a good one for getting as close as possible to the truth).



          If, however, the superpower only analyzes his statements in terms of syntax and semantics, Bob can work around the limitation in various ways.



          First, he can use questions instead of statements. While declarative sentences have a truth value (as long as they aren't paradoxes), interrogative sentences do not. So if he wanted to tell you that Madrid is the capital of Spain, he could ask you "Did you know that Madrid is the capital of Spain?"



          Second, he could always tell you what he wants you to know in a content clause. This will still involve a declarative sentence, but by selecting the main clause carefully he can make a sentence that is false (and therefore exempt from the power) with a true content clause ("No one knows that Madrid is the capital of Spain.").





          share








          New contributor




          MacA is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
          Check out our Code of Conduct.






          $endgroup$












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            7 Answers
            7






            active

            oldest

            votes








            7 Answers
            7






            active

            oldest

            votes









            active

            oldest

            votes






            active

            oldest

            votes









            5












            $begingroup$


            There are seconds during this week/month/year that you will not trust me a bit. --Bob







            share|improve this answer









            $endgroup$












            • $begingroup$
              That's not really answering the question. That's more just a proof that Bob can force things to be true.
              $endgroup$
              – David
              1 hour ago






            • 1




              $begingroup$
              @David question is about how does he make people to trust him. If fabrics of reality makes what he says false then this statement is simplest, sure solution — there will not be a second someone does not trust him, so this person will trust him, problem solved.
              $endgroup$
              – Mołot
              1 hour ago










            • $begingroup$
              Fair enough, I didn't think about that.
              $endgroup$
              – David
              1 hour ago






            • 1




              $begingroup$
              This is rough though.. because due to the path of least resistance, you end up with people only trusting bob slightly more than a bit.
              $endgroup$
              – Dylan
              2 mins ago















            5












            $begingroup$


            There are seconds during this week/month/year that you will not trust me a bit. --Bob







            share|improve this answer









            $endgroup$












            • $begingroup$
              That's not really answering the question. That's more just a proof that Bob can force things to be true.
              $endgroup$
              – David
              1 hour ago






            • 1




              $begingroup$
              @David question is about how does he make people to trust him. If fabrics of reality makes what he says false then this statement is simplest, sure solution — there will not be a second someone does not trust him, so this person will trust him, problem solved.
              $endgroup$
              – Mołot
              1 hour ago










            • $begingroup$
              Fair enough, I didn't think about that.
              $endgroup$
              – David
              1 hour ago






            • 1




              $begingroup$
              This is rough though.. because due to the path of least resistance, you end up with people only trusting bob slightly more than a bit.
              $endgroup$
              – Dylan
              2 mins ago













            5












            5








            5





            $begingroup$


            There are seconds during this week/month/year that you will not trust me a bit. --Bob







            share|improve this answer









            $endgroup$




            There are seconds during this week/month/year that you will not trust me a bit. --Bob








            share|improve this answer












            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer










            answered 1 hour ago









            Kasper van den BergKasper van den Berg

            34128




            34128











            • $begingroup$
              That's not really answering the question. That's more just a proof that Bob can force things to be true.
              $endgroup$
              – David
              1 hour ago






            • 1




              $begingroup$
              @David question is about how does he make people to trust him. If fabrics of reality makes what he says false then this statement is simplest, sure solution — there will not be a second someone does not trust him, so this person will trust him, problem solved.
              $endgroup$
              – Mołot
              1 hour ago










            • $begingroup$
              Fair enough, I didn't think about that.
              $endgroup$
              – David
              1 hour ago






            • 1




              $begingroup$
              This is rough though.. because due to the path of least resistance, you end up with people only trusting bob slightly more than a bit.
              $endgroup$
              – Dylan
              2 mins ago
















            • $begingroup$
              That's not really answering the question. That's more just a proof that Bob can force things to be true.
              $endgroup$
              – David
              1 hour ago






            • 1




              $begingroup$
              @David question is about how does he make people to trust him. If fabrics of reality makes what he says false then this statement is simplest, sure solution — there will not be a second someone does not trust him, so this person will trust him, problem solved.
              $endgroup$
              – Mołot
              1 hour ago










            • $begingroup$
              Fair enough, I didn't think about that.
              $endgroup$
              – David
              1 hour ago






            • 1




              $begingroup$
              This is rough though.. because due to the path of least resistance, you end up with people only trusting bob slightly more than a bit.
              $endgroup$
              – Dylan
              2 mins ago















            $begingroup$
            That's not really answering the question. That's more just a proof that Bob can force things to be true.
            $endgroup$
            – David
            1 hour ago




            $begingroup$
            That's not really answering the question. That's more just a proof that Bob can force things to be true.
            $endgroup$
            – David
            1 hour ago




            1




            1




            $begingroup$
            @David question is about how does he make people to trust him. If fabrics of reality makes what he says false then this statement is simplest, sure solution — there will not be a second someone does not trust him, so this person will trust him, problem solved.
            $endgroup$
            – Mołot
            1 hour ago




            $begingroup$
            @David question is about how does he make people to trust him. If fabrics of reality makes what he says false then this statement is simplest, sure solution — there will not be a second someone does not trust him, so this person will trust him, problem solved.
            $endgroup$
            – Mołot
            1 hour ago












            $begingroup$
            Fair enough, I didn't think about that.
            $endgroup$
            – David
            1 hour ago




            $begingroup$
            Fair enough, I didn't think about that.
            $endgroup$
            – David
            1 hour ago




            1




            1




            $begingroup$
            This is rough though.. because due to the path of least resistance, you end up with people only trusting bob slightly more than a bit.
            $endgroup$
            – Dylan
            2 mins ago




            $begingroup$
            This is rough though.. because due to the path of least resistance, you end up with people only trusting bob slightly more than a bit.
            $endgroup$
            – Dylan
            2 mins ago











            3












            $begingroup$


            There are ways to manipulate this in his favor, such as stating the opposite of what he wants in the simplest way possible, but because as little as possible is changed, this can be tricky in some cases since only one detail of his statement must be false in order to render the entire statement technically false.




            Bob wants actually to state things not as simply as possible, since as you mentioned, this leads to several possible outcomes. He wants to state things as precise as possible.



            "My net worth is at most 10 dollars", has the logical (and only possible) opposite "My net worth is more than 10 dollars" (and Bob will have net worth of 10.01 dollars if taking the path least resistance).



            "The set of people who distrusts me is non empty" has opposite "The set of people who distrusts me is empty", i.e. no one distrusts Bob...






            share|improve this answer








            New contributor




            maria_c is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.






            $endgroup$

















              3












              $begingroup$


              There are ways to manipulate this in his favor, such as stating the opposite of what he wants in the simplest way possible, but because as little as possible is changed, this can be tricky in some cases since only one detail of his statement must be false in order to render the entire statement technically false.




              Bob wants actually to state things not as simply as possible, since as you mentioned, this leads to several possible outcomes. He wants to state things as precise as possible.



              "My net worth is at most 10 dollars", has the logical (and only possible) opposite "My net worth is more than 10 dollars" (and Bob will have net worth of 10.01 dollars if taking the path least resistance).



              "The set of people who distrusts me is non empty" has opposite "The set of people who distrusts me is empty", i.e. no one distrusts Bob...






              share|improve this answer








              New contributor




              maria_c is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
              Check out our Code of Conduct.






              $endgroup$















                3












                3








                3





                $begingroup$


                There are ways to manipulate this in his favor, such as stating the opposite of what he wants in the simplest way possible, but because as little as possible is changed, this can be tricky in some cases since only one detail of his statement must be false in order to render the entire statement technically false.




                Bob wants actually to state things not as simply as possible, since as you mentioned, this leads to several possible outcomes. He wants to state things as precise as possible.



                "My net worth is at most 10 dollars", has the logical (and only possible) opposite "My net worth is more than 10 dollars" (and Bob will have net worth of 10.01 dollars if taking the path least resistance).



                "The set of people who distrusts me is non empty" has opposite "The set of people who distrusts me is empty", i.e. no one distrusts Bob...






                share|improve this answer








                New contributor




                maria_c is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                Check out our Code of Conduct.






                $endgroup$




                There are ways to manipulate this in his favor, such as stating the opposite of what he wants in the simplest way possible, but because as little as possible is changed, this can be tricky in some cases since only one detail of his statement must be false in order to render the entire statement technically false.




                Bob wants actually to state things not as simply as possible, since as you mentioned, this leads to several possible outcomes. He wants to state things as precise as possible.



                "My net worth is at most 10 dollars", has the logical (and only possible) opposite "My net worth is more than 10 dollars" (and Bob will have net worth of 10.01 dollars if taking the path least resistance).



                "The set of people who distrusts me is non empty" has opposite "The set of people who distrusts me is empty", i.e. no one distrusts Bob...







                share|improve this answer








                New contributor




                maria_c is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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                share|improve this answer



                share|improve this answer






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                answered 35 mins ago









                maria_cmaria_c

                311




                311




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                New contributor





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                    1












                    $begingroup$

                    You kind of answered your own question, he can't remove this superpower by stating he has it so he can go up to anyone, explain the way the power works and then demonstrate it using some easy cases. People will be skeptical at first but will believe him after enough convincing examples.






                    share|improve this answer









                    $endgroup$

















                      1












                      $begingroup$

                      You kind of answered your own question, he can't remove this superpower by stating he has it so he can go up to anyone, explain the way the power works and then demonstrate it using some easy cases. People will be skeptical at first but will believe him after enough convincing examples.






                      share|improve this answer









                      $endgroup$















                        1












                        1








                        1





                        $begingroup$

                        You kind of answered your own question, he can't remove this superpower by stating he has it so he can go up to anyone, explain the way the power works and then demonstrate it using some easy cases. People will be skeptical at first but will believe him after enough convincing examples.






                        share|improve this answer









                        $endgroup$



                        You kind of answered your own question, he can't remove this superpower by stating he has it so he can go up to anyone, explain the way the power works and then demonstrate it using some easy cases. People will be skeptical at first but will believe him after enough convincing examples.







                        share|improve this answer












                        share|improve this answer



                        share|improve this answer










                        answered 42 mins ago









                        MuuskiMuuski

                        41827




                        41827





















                            1












                            $begingroup$

                            NOTE: This answer assumes Bob cannot make people trust him simply by saying "You don't trust me".



                            It's very easy to get people to trust him. Simply announce in a loud voice the opposite of what you want and soon people will pick up that the opposite will happen. If you want people to notice faster do it in a casino.



                            It will take some time to fine-tune what to say, but this is essentially a wish granting power. You just have to phrase it a little weird.



                            Your friends will all want you to say things like




                            My company's value will go down




                            Or




                            It'll land on black




                            Or




                            Your marriage won't last




                            Several economic indicators are like this. Things like more stocks being issued (IPOs) and more credit being available happens before a stock market crash. People watch these and try to time the market (but rarely succeed).



                            The real curse is to say the truth but have no one believe you like Cassandra






                            share|improve this answer











                            $endgroup$












                            • $begingroup$
                              "In addition, this superpower is permanent and cannot be removed through anything he might say or any interaction with other superpowers that might exist."
                              $endgroup$
                              – Rob Watts
                              35 mins ago















                            1












                            $begingroup$

                            NOTE: This answer assumes Bob cannot make people trust him simply by saying "You don't trust me".



                            It's very easy to get people to trust him. Simply announce in a loud voice the opposite of what you want and soon people will pick up that the opposite will happen. If you want people to notice faster do it in a casino.



                            It will take some time to fine-tune what to say, but this is essentially a wish granting power. You just have to phrase it a little weird.



                            Your friends will all want you to say things like




                            My company's value will go down




                            Or




                            It'll land on black




                            Or




                            Your marriage won't last




                            Several economic indicators are like this. Things like more stocks being issued (IPOs) and more credit being available happens before a stock market crash. People watch these and try to time the market (but rarely succeed).



                            The real curse is to say the truth but have no one believe you like Cassandra






                            share|improve this answer











                            $endgroup$












                            • $begingroup$
                              "In addition, this superpower is permanent and cannot be removed through anything he might say or any interaction with other superpowers that might exist."
                              $endgroup$
                              – Rob Watts
                              35 mins ago













                            1












                            1








                            1





                            $begingroup$

                            NOTE: This answer assumes Bob cannot make people trust him simply by saying "You don't trust me".



                            It's very easy to get people to trust him. Simply announce in a loud voice the opposite of what you want and soon people will pick up that the opposite will happen. If you want people to notice faster do it in a casino.



                            It will take some time to fine-tune what to say, but this is essentially a wish granting power. You just have to phrase it a little weird.



                            Your friends will all want you to say things like




                            My company's value will go down




                            Or




                            It'll land on black




                            Or




                            Your marriage won't last




                            Several economic indicators are like this. Things like more stocks being issued (IPOs) and more credit being available happens before a stock market crash. People watch these and try to time the market (but rarely succeed).



                            The real curse is to say the truth but have no one believe you like Cassandra






                            share|improve this answer











                            $endgroup$



                            NOTE: This answer assumes Bob cannot make people trust him simply by saying "You don't trust me".



                            It's very easy to get people to trust him. Simply announce in a loud voice the opposite of what you want and soon people will pick up that the opposite will happen. If you want people to notice faster do it in a casino.



                            It will take some time to fine-tune what to say, but this is essentially a wish granting power. You just have to phrase it a little weird.



                            Your friends will all want you to say things like




                            My company's value will go down




                            Or




                            It'll land on black




                            Or




                            Your marriage won't last




                            Several economic indicators are like this. Things like more stocks being issued (IPOs) and more credit being available happens before a stock market crash. People watch these and try to time the market (but rarely succeed).



                            The real curse is to say the truth but have no one believe you like Cassandra







                            share|improve this answer














                            share|improve this answer



                            share|improve this answer








                            edited 18 mins ago

























                            answered 1 hour ago









                            sevensevenssevensevens

                            4795




                            4795











                            • $begingroup$
                              "In addition, this superpower is permanent and cannot be removed through anything he might say or any interaction with other superpowers that might exist."
                              $endgroup$
                              – Rob Watts
                              35 mins ago
















                            • $begingroup$
                              "In addition, this superpower is permanent and cannot be removed through anything he might say or any interaction with other superpowers that might exist."
                              $endgroup$
                              – Rob Watts
                              35 mins ago















                            $begingroup$
                            "In addition, this superpower is permanent and cannot be removed through anything he might say or any interaction with other superpowers that might exist."
                            $endgroup$
                            – Rob Watts
                            35 mins ago




                            $begingroup$
                            "In addition, this superpower is permanent and cannot be removed through anything he might say or any interaction with other superpowers that might exist."
                            $endgroup$
                            – Rob Watts
                            35 mins ago











                            0












                            $begingroup$

                            Bob can be a superhero and become rich really easy.



                            All he needs to do is to spread conspiracy theories.



                            Bob says the Earth is flat. The Earth assumes a spherical geometry. Had Bob not used his power, we would eventually be suffocated by the giant elephants' magical freezing farts which keep the frozen barrier st the rim in place, or we would eventually be smashed by the cosmic turtle's sexual partner.



                            Bob says aliens are abducting people and probing their cavities. Now the aliens can't do that - Bob is a one man X-com!



                            Bob says planes leave out chemtrails that are used for mind control. Now they don't anymore! Take that, Illuminatti!



                            And so on. The only conspiracy theories he can't defeat are vaccine and GMO related ones, because those can actually cause direct harm to people.



                            So most everyone from the average Joe to the eggheads of our time will not trust Bob, but that's not a problem. He will have the undisputed and unwavering trust and loyalty of basically every Infowars follower. He can even take over Alex Jones's place and make huge loads of cash that way.



                            Heck, Bob could even easily become the next republican president, and he would save the world from climate change by claiming that coal is cleaner than solar and wind power.






                            share|improve this answer









                            $endgroup$

















                              0












                              $begingroup$

                              Bob can be a superhero and become rich really easy.



                              All he needs to do is to spread conspiracy theories.



                              Bob says the Earth is flat. The Earth assumes a spherical geometry. Had Bob not used his power, we would eventually be suffocated by the giant elephants' magical freezing farts which keep the frozen barrier st the rim in place, or we would eventually be smashed by the cosmic turtle's sexual partner.



                              Bob says aliens are abducting people and probing their cavities. Now the aliens can't do that - Bob is a one man X-com!



                              Bob says planes leave out chemtrails that are used for mind control. Now they don't anymore! Take that, Illuminatti!



                              And so on. The only conspiracy theories he can't defeat are vaccine and GMO related ones, because those can actually cause direct harm to people.



                              So most everyone from the average Joe to the eggheads of our time will not trust Bob, but that's not a problem. He will have the undisputed and unwavering trust and loyalty of basically every Infowars follower. He can even take over Alex Jones's place and make huge loads of cash that way.



                              Heck, Bob could even easily become the next republican president, and he would save the world from climate change by claiming that coal is cleaner than solar and wind power.






                              share|improve this answer









                              $endgroup$















                                0












                                0








                                0





                                $begingroup$

                                Bob can be a superhero and become rich really easy.



                                All he needs to do is to spread conspiracy theories.



                                Bob says the Earth is flat. The Earth assumes a spherical geometry. Had Bob not used his power, we would eventually be suffocated by the giant elephants' magical freezing farts which keep the frozen barrier st the rim in place, or we would eventually be smashed by the cosmic turtle's sexual partner.



                                Bob says aliens are abducting people and probing their cavities. Now the aliens can't do that - Bob is a one man X-com!



                                Bob says planes leave out chemtrails that are used for mind control. Now they don't anymore! Take that, Illuminatti!



                                And so on. The only conspiracy theories he can't defeat are vaccine and GMO related ones, because those can actually cause direct harm to people.



                                So most everyone from the average Joe to the eggheads of our time will not trust Bob, but that's not a problem. He will have the undisputed and unwavering trust and loyalty of basically every Infowars follower. He can even take over Alex Jones's place and make huge loads of cash that way.



                                Heck, Bob could even easily become the next republican president, and he would save the world from climate change by claiming that coal is cleaner than solar and wind power.






                                share|improve this answer









                                $endgroup$



                                Bob can be a superhero and become rich really easy.



                                All he needs to do is to spread conspiracy theories.



                                Bob says the Earth is flat. The Earth assumes a spherical geometry. Had Bob not used his power, we would eventually be suffocated by the giant elephants' magical freezing farts which keep the frozen barrier st the rim in place, or we would eventually be smashed by the cosmic turtle's sexual partner.



                                Bob says aliens are abducting people and probing their cavities. Now the aliens can't do that - Bob is a one man X-com!



                                Bob says planes leave out chemtrails that are used for mind control. Now they don't anymore! Take that, Illuminatti!



                                And so on. The only conspiracy theories he can't defeat are vaccine and GMO related ones, because those can actually cause direct harm to people.



                                So most everyone from the average Joe to the eggheads of our time will not trust Bob, but that's not a problem. He will have the undisputed and unwavering trust and loyalty of basically every Infowars follower. He can even take over Alex Jones's place and make huge loads of cash that way.



                                Heck, Bob could even easily become the next republican president, and he would save the world from climate change by claiming that coal is cleaner than solar and wind power.







                                share|improve this answer












                                share|improve this answer



                                share|improve this answer










                                answered 1 hour ago









                                RenanRenan

                                51.1k14118255




                                51.1k14118255





















                                    0












                                    $begingroup$

                                    It is really simple.



                                    Don't try to make them believe you. Always tell the lie that they won't believe to get them to realize the truth.



                                    If your friend asks if you want to head out to dinner and you do, actually want to, say "no." Your friend will know that you can't tell the truth and know what you are saying.



                                    Once enough people know about the power, everyone will know that he has to speak that way.



                                    Also, he would be in high demand for anything that requires safety.



                                    Any time he gets on an airplane, all he has to say is "this plane will not land safely."



                                    He can be the benevolent doomsayer.






                                    share|improve this answer









                                    $endgroup$

















                                      0












                                      $begingroup$

                                      It is really simple.



                                      Don't try to make them believe you. Always tell the lie that they won't believe to get them to realize the truth.



                                      If your friend asks if you want to head out to dinner and you do, actually want to, say "no." Your friend will know that you can't tell the truth and know what you are saying.



                                      Once enough people know about the power, everyone will know that he has to speak that way.



                                      Also, he would be in high demand for anything that requires safety.



                                      Any time he gets on an airplane, all he has to say is "this plane will not land safely."



                                      He can be the benevolent doomsayer.






                                      share|improve this answer









                                      $endgroup$















                                        0












                                        0








                                        0





                                        $begingroup$

                                        It is really simple.



                                        Don't try to make them believe you. Always tell the lie that they won't believe to get them to realize the truth.



                                        If your friend asks if you want to head out to dinner and you do, actually want to, say "no." Your friend will know that you can't tell the truth and know what you are saying.



                                        Once enough people know about the power, everyone will know that he has to speak that way.



                                        Also, he would be in high demand for anything that requires safety.



                                        Any time he gets on an airplane, all he has to say is "this plane will not land safely."



                                        He can be the benevolent doomsayer.






                                        share|improve this answer









                                        $endgroup$



                                        It is really simple.



                                        Don't try to make them believe you. Always tell the lie that they won't believe to get them to realize the truth.



                                        If your friend asks if you want to head out to dinner and you do, actually want to, say "no." Your friend will know that you can't tell the truth and know what you are saying.



                                        Once enough people know about the power, everyone will know that he has to speak that way.



                                        Also, he would be in high demand for anything that requires safety.



                                        Any time he gets on an airplane, all he has to say is "this plane will not land safely."



                                        He can be the benevolent doomsayer.







                                        share|improve this answer












                                        share|improve this answer



                                        share|improve this answer










                                        answered 14 mins ago









                                        ShadoCatShadoCat

                                        15.5k2053




                                        15.5k2053





















                                            0












                                            $begingroup$

                                            How linguistically savvy is this superpower? How linguistically savvy is Bob?



                                            I'm assuming here that Bob wants to communicate the truth and wants to be trusted. I'm also going to be treating the superpower as an antagonist to this goal.



                                            If the superpower can recognize the intent of his statements and will change the truth of the part he intends to communicate, he's kind of stuck (although maria_c's answer is a good one for getting as close as possible to the truth).



                                            If, however, the superpower only analyzes his statements in terms of syntax and semantics, Bob can work around the limitation in various ways.



                                            First, he can use questions instead of statements. While declarative sentences have a truth value (as long as they aren't paradoxes), interrogative sentences do not. So if he wanted to tell you that Madrid is the capital of Spain, he could ask you "Did you know that Madrid is the capital of Spain?"



                                            Second, he could always tell you what he wants you to know in a content clause. This will still involve a declarative sentence, but by selecting the main clause carefully he can make a sentence that is false (and therefore exempt from the power) with a true content clause ("No one knows that Madrid is the capital of Spain.").





                                            share








                                            New contributor




                                            MacA is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                            Check out our Code of Conduct.






                                            $endgroup$

















                                              0












                                              $begingroup$

                                              How linguistically savvy is this superpower? How linguistically savvy is Bob?



                                              I'm assuming here that Bob wants to communicate the truth and wants to be trusted. I'm also going to be treating the superpower as an antagonist to this goal.



                                              If the superpower can recognize the intent of his statements and will change the truth of the part he intends to communicate, he's kind of stuck (although maria_c's answer is a good one for getting as close as possible to the truth).



                                              If, however, the superpower only analyzes his statements in terms of syntax and semantics, Bob can work around the limitation in various ways.



                                              First, he can use questions instead of statements. While declarative sentences have a truth value (as long as they aren't paradoxes), interrogative sentences do not. So if he wanted to tell you that Madrid is the capital of Spain, he could ask you "Did you know that Madrid is the capital of Spain?"



                                              Second, he could always tell you what he wants you to know in a content clause. This will still involve a declarative sentence, but by selecting the main clause carefully he can make a sentence that is false (and therefore exempt from the power) with a true content clause ("No one knows that Madrid is the capital of Spain.").





                                              share








                                              New contributor




                                              MacA is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                              Check out our Code of Conduct.






                                              $endgroup$















                                                0












                                                0








                                                0





                                                $begingroup$

                                                How linguistically savvy is this superpower? How linguistically savvy is Bob?



                                                I'm assuming here that Bob wants to communicate the truth and wants to be trusted. I'm also going to be treating the superpower as an antagonist to this goal.



                                                If the superpower can recognize the intent of his statements and will change the truth of the part he intends to communicate, he's kind of stuck (although maria_c's answer is a good one for getting as close as possible to the truth).



                                                If, however, the superpower only analyzes his statements in terms of syntax and semantics, Bob can work around the limitation in various ways.



                                                First, he can use questions instead of statements. While declarative sentences have a truth value (as long as they aren't paradoxes), interrogative sentences do not. So if he wanted to tell you that Madrid is the capital of Spain, he could ask you "Did you know that Madrid is the capital of Spain?"



                                                Second, he could always tell you what he wants you to know in a content clause. This will still involve a declarative sentence, but by selecting the main clause carefully he can make a sentence that is false (and therefore exempt from the power) with a true content clause ("No one knows that Madrid is the capital of Spain.").





                                                share








                                                New contributor




                                                MacA is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                Check out our Code of Conduct.






                                                $endgroup$



                                                How linguistically savvy is this superpower? How linguistically savvy is Bob?



                                                I'm assuming here that Bob wants to communicate the truth and wants to be trusted. I'm also going to be treating the superpower as an antagonist to this goal.



                                                If the superpower can recognize the intent of his statements and will change the truth of the part he intends to communicate, he's kind of stuck (although maria_c's answer is a good one for getting as close as possible to the truth).



                                                If, however, the superpower only analyzes his statements in terms of syntax and semantics, Bob can work around the limitation in various ways.



                                                First, he can use questions instead of statements. While declarative sentences have a truth value (as long as they aren't paradoxes), interrogative sentences do not. So if he wanted to tell you that Madrid is the capital of Spain, he could ask you "Did you know that Madrid is the capital of Spain?"



                                                Second, he could always tell you what he wants you to know in a content clause. This will still involve a declarative sentence, but by selecting the main clause carefully he can make a sentence that is false (and therefore exempt from the power) with a true content clause ("No one knows that Madrid is the capital of Spain.").






                                                share








                                                New contributor




                                                MacA is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                Check out our Code of Conduct.








                                                share


                                                share






                                                New contributor




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                                                answered 8 mins ago









                                                MacAMacA

                                                1095




                                                1095




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                                                New contributor





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