The sanity paradox is a concept that comes up often in my beliefs, related to two propositions being functionally equivalent with no possibility of independent verification. I will define it here:
Consider the question "Am I sane?". If a person is sane, they generally perceive themselves as sane. They will therefore answer "Yes, I am sane.", and will be correct. If a person is insane, they may perceive themselves as sane and all others as insane. Such a person will also answer "Yes, I am sane.", but will be incorrect. Because the perception of sanity is inherently tied to sanity itself, there can never be independent verification of the property. Therefore, the two cases are equivalent, and as such any person may well consider themselves sane, since there is no possible way of discovering the truth.
This concept comes up in various situations. For example, the god of Deism. If the god of Deism exists, this god created the universe and subsequently does not interfere with it. If the god of Deism does not exist, the universe exists in its present state and such a god does not interfere with the universe. These two statements are functionally equivalent for the present and future. It is therefore an example of the sanity paradox, and the choice between existence and non-existence is arbitrary.
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