# Thomson's lamp

> English word · Proper noun

## Definitions
1. A hypothetical lamp in a philosophical paradox. The lamp is repeatedly turned on and off by means of a switch; at the end of this time period, regarded as the sum of an infinite series of intervals, it seems paradoxically that the lamp cannot be either on or off.

## Etymology
The idea was devised in 1954 by British philosopher James F. Thomson.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/thomson-s-lamp