The idea that a concrete thing (a number of grains on top of another) can not be said to be in a specific state, but rather its pile-ness is a non-linear function of the number of items it contains, is already the paradox.<p>Common logic would expect concrete things to be either X or not X (unless X is something subjective like &quot;is it pretty?&quot;, &quot;is it art?&quot;, &quot;is it ethical?&quot;, etc).<p>Instead it turns out (paradoxically) that even a quality of a concrete thing based on its physical characteristics, like &quot;is it a pile&quot;, can be subjective.