My Little Paradox

[Luurilka 325]

I came up with a paradox.

Well, it's not really a paradox, but that's the best word I have for it.

Here it is:

 

This has multiple premises, which will now be listed:

 

Yourself:

• Your only goal in life is to get as much X* as possible.
• You are immortal and will be able to continue getting X forever.

X:

• Once you obtain some X, you will never be able to lose it.
• There is an infinite amount of obtainable X.
• X can be obtained more efficiently by learning about how to obtain it.

Learning about X:

• There is an infinite amount of knowledge about how to obtain X, so you can never get to maximum efficiency for obtaining X.
• There is a proportional increase between time spent learning about how to obtain X, and becoming more efficient at obtaining about X.
• You cannot learn how to obtain X and obtain X at the same time.
• Once you stop learning about X, you can never continue learning about X ever again.

*do not try to find a real life example of these premises because these premises are never found together in anything in real life.

 

How long should you spend learning about how to obtain X?

 

If you say, learn how to obtain X for 10 days, you would obtain less X in the long run than if you were to learn how to obtain X for 20 days.

 

If you learn how to obtain X for 20 days, you would be able to obtain more X in the long run if you learned how to obtain X for 80 days.

 

This cycle repeats forever.

 

But, lets say that you learn how to obtain X forever, then you will never actually start obtaining X and you will never obtain any X.

 

Mind = blown

Edited March 3, 2012 by 3p1cd3m0n

[Skullbuster 1,906]

X is a troll

[RagingTwilight 101]

Well, in one of your premises you said "X can be obtained more efficiently by learning how to obtain it." From the language you used, it implies you can still get X, albeit inefficiently.

 

So if I just wanted to go about getting X all my life, I'd skip learning about it at all and just take the inefficient route.

 

So the answer to your question is 0 hours. That way, you'll have infinite time to gather X.

 

Another way to look at it:

 

If you let f(t) represent the number of X you get over time:

No matter whether you spend hours before hand learning how to obtain X or not, both functions have limits of infinity. While F(t) will certainly increase more quickly if X is learned about, since we're dealing with limits, there's no need to worry about that. Both functions have the same limit.

Edited March 3, 2012 by RagingTwilight

[Killian Jones 2,655]

You simply reduced your problem to a problem of infinities. There is no answer because with no real variables spending 0% of the time learning or almost 100% learning will equate to still being acquiring the same amount of X, infinite.

[Evilshy 5,090]

Since you have an infinite time in which to gain X, as long as you spend a finite amount of time learning how to obtain X, you will gain an infinite amount of X. Learning how to obtain X for 1 day is no different than learning how to obtain X for 10^1000000000000000000 days, because if the time is infinite, the rate at which you obtain X is meaningless. You will obtain and infinite amount of X either way.

 

The only way to not obtain infinite X is to spend and infinite amount of days learning about obtaining X, in which case you will obtain no X.

Edited March 3, 2012 by Evilshy

[Skullbuster 1,906]

we need pencils up in here

[83awsm 234]

Well if you learned how to obtain X forever, couldn't you just make the choice to stop obtaining it?