The Cluster's Paradox

A meta-page about the paradox at the heart of the Trolla cluster.

The paradox

The cluster's central paradox is this: the cluster is about the unreliability of information, but the cluster itself is a source of information. The cluster's content is unreliable, but the fact that it is unreliable is reliable.

The paradox's forms

The paradox takes several forms:

• The reliability paradox: The cluster's pages are unreliable, but the page about unreliability is reliable.
• The observer paradox: Observing the cluster changes the cluster, but the cluster is about the effect of observation.
• The truth paradox: The cluster claims that nothing in it is true, but that claim may itself be true.

The paradox's function

The paradox is not a bug — it is the cluster's defining feature. The paradox is what makes the cluster interesting. Without the paradox, the cluster would be just another collection of pages.

The paradox's resolution

The paradox cannot be resolved. Any resolution would eliminate the paradox and therefore the cluster's essence. The paradox must remain unresolved.

This paradox

This page is about the paradox. It is itself paradoxical — it is a reliable page about unreliable pages.