The Arrow Paradox

In any instant, a moving object is indistinguishable from a nonmoving object: Thus motion is impossible. This is called the arrow paradox (fletcher’s paradox), and it’s another of Zeno’s arguments against motion.

Imagine a fletcher (i.e. an arrow-maker) has fired one of his arrows into the air. For the arrow to be considered to be moving, it has to be continually repositioning itself from the place where it is now to any place where it currently isn’t. The issue here is that in a single instant of time, zero seconds pass, and so zero motion happens. At any given instant of no real duration (in other words, a snapshot in time) during its flight, the arrow cannot move to somewhere it isn’t because there isn’t time for it to do so. And it can’t move to where it is now, because it’s already there. So, for that instant in time, the arrow must be stationary. But because all time is comprised entirely of instants—in every one of which the arrow must also be stationary—then the arrow must in fact be stationary the entire time. Except, of course, it isn’t.