The
sorites paradox (; sometimes translated as the
paradox of the heap (because in
sorites means "heap") is a
paradox that arises from
vague predicates. A typical formulation involves a heap of
sand, from which grains are individually removed. Under the assumption that removing a single grain does not turn a heap into a non-heap, the paradox is to consider what happens when the process is repeated enough times: is a single remaining grain still a heap? (Or are even no grains at all a heap?) If not, when did it change from a heap to a non-heap?