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Exercise Your Mind:
Come to Zeno's Place

© Frederic Giacobazzi

He is the perpetrator of the paradoxical, the devil's advocate of the absurd. He is Zeno of Elea (c. 490-430 B.C.), the pre-Socratic philosopher who came to Athens to challenge the mental complacency of his philosophical rivals.

Zeno's specialty was that method of proof known as the reductio ad absurdum (reduce to absurdity), in which an opponent's position is refuted by showing that accepting it leads to absurd or contradictory conclusions. In the words of one commentator, "Zeno is credited with perfecting a way of revealing an idea's absurdity by: (1) showing that accepting it leads to a logical contradiction, or (2) showing that it leads to a logical conclusion that is somehow obviously ridiculous because it offends either our reason or common sense."¹

Now, instead of holding forth in the open air of the Agora in Athens, Zeno has his own comfortable hangout on the World Wide Web. It's called Zeno's Coffehouse, and you are invited to drop by -- if you dare. There, besides a strong cup of virtual bean-brew, you can experience what lovers of Zeno have always sought -- to give their minds a strong dose of the perplexing and the paradoxical.

Zeno's new hangout is managed by Ron Barnette of Valdosta State University. Besides waiting on the virtual tables at Zeno's, Ron dishes up a menu of mind-bending brain-teasers that he refers to as "mental gymnastics." Vistors are challenged to try their brain cells and fry their synapses on problems such as "The Decision-Scenario" and "The Hourglass Problem." Names of the winners of each challenge are posted at the site.

Zeno's place seems to be attracting an elite -- and growing -- clientele, the sort who would rather indulge in hard thinking than hard drinking. The sort who "get" the place's motto: "At Zeno's, Don't Ever Ask Anyone to Meet You Halfway." So, dress up in your virtual best and plan on dropping by. You might even catch a glimpse of old Zeno himself -- lurking in the shadows and chuckling at the thought that he can still tie the mind in knots after all these years.

¹ Douglas J. Soccio, Archetypes of Wisdom. 2nd ed. Wadsworth, 1995.

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