this post was submitted on 02 May 2025
840 points (98.4% liked)
xkcd
10773 readers
537 users here now
A community for a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
Yeah, irresistible force is the version I know. Now I'm wondering if there are even more versions. Are they regional deviations?
They are synonyms for that usage. The immovable object is neither stopping nor resisting the force.
Well I'm from Utica and I've never heard the term "irresistible force"
Not in Utica, no. It's an Albany expression.
Sure could go for some steamed hams right about now..
While not what you're asking for, but fun fact, in Asia, this sort of paradox is represented by the story of the all-piercing spear and the unpierceable shield in Chinese philosophy. So in Chinese and Japanese, the word for 'paradox' or 'contradiction' literally means 'spear-shield' (矛盾).