Honestants and Swindlecants #7 (Solution)

Have you got your answer? Let’s compare with mine.

Based on the situation mentioned, we know that the gringo asked a man whether rumor about a fantastic buried treasure is true or false. Then the man replied, “On this island is a treasure, only if I am an honest man.” So shall he go and find the treasure?

“On this island is a treasure, only if I am an honest man,”

in other words,

“On this island is not a treasure, only if I am a Swindlecant”.

Let’s draw the possibilities:

There are 4 possibilities:

• If the man is honest, then the statement must be true, and the treasure is on the island.
• If the man is lying, then the statement must be false, and the treasure can be on the island.
• If the man is honest, then the statement must be true, the treasure is must be on the island.
• If the man is lying, and the treasure is not on the island, then the statement must be true. In this possibility, the fact is that the man telling truth (he’s honest).

So, whether the man is an Honestant or a Swindlecant, on that island must be a treasure. So, he’ll go finding the treasure.

 

P.S.: This brain teaser I copied from Brain Teasers (http://brainden.com/logic-problems.htm). Just on click on that link, then you’ll get more brain teasers to tease your brain or even just to ease your boring day. When you get stuck, you can visit brain teasers forum to get extra “clues” from them whom have tried to solve it (but for me, it’s better to do it by myself as I did in solving this quiz).