ITT: Riddles/Paradoxes

[Sejanus]

Here's a few to start us off:

What's easier to pick up the heavier it gets?

If you ate yourself, would you be twice as big or would you disappear?

Suppose there is a town with only one barber. The barber shaves every man in the town who does not shave himself, and every man who shaves himself is not shaved by the barber. Does the barber shave, and if so, who shaves him?

[Tiberius]

1) A woman.

2) Neither, you'd remain the same size.

3) The barber has no face so he doesn't need to shave.

[Sejanus]

I think you can do better than that for 3)

[max-greece]

The barber is a woman and doesn't shave.

[Napoléon]

The barber has a beard.

[Ben Davis]

Suppose there is a town with only one barber. The barber shaves every man in the town who does not shave himself, and every man who shaves himself is not shaved by the barber. Does the barber shave, and if so, who shaves him?

Insufficient data to resolve Q1.
Resolution of Q2 is dependent on resolution of Q1.

[pocaracas]

What's easier to pick up the heavier it gets?

don't know.... air....

If you ate yourself, would you be twice as big or would you disappear?

Depends on where you start eating yourself... I'm guessing you may drop a few bones along the way.... and you wouldn't be able to finish the meal...
So.... none.

Suppose there is a town with only one barber. The barber shaves every man in the town who does not shave himself, and every man who shaves himself is not shaved by the barber. Does the barber shave, and if so, who shaves him?

Apparently, the barber either has no beard (woman?, chinese? native american?) or doesn't shave it.

[DLJ]

The barber is a woman and doesn't shave.

Nah! The question referred to the barber as 'him'.

[downbeatplumb]

The barber is seven.

[Jackalope]

Suppose there is a town with only one barber. The barber shaves every man in the town who does not shave himself, and every man who shaves himself is not shaved by the barber. Does the barber shave, and if so, who shaves him?

The barber is male (implied by 'who shaves him').
The barber does not shave himself (that would contradict 'every man who shaves himself is not shaved by the barber')
The barber does not shave (as him being shaved by someone else, or shaving himself would be contradictory to the premise)

Conclusion: The barber does not shave.