what came first the chicken or the egg?

Answer 1

The chicken or the egg is a reference to the causality dilemma which arises from the expression "which came first, the chicken or the egg?". Since both the chicken and the egg create the other in certain circumstances (a chicken emerges from an egg; an egg is laid by a chicken) it is ambiguous which originally gave rise to the other. Purely logical attempts to resolve the dilemma result in an infinite regress, since an egg was caused by a chicken, which was caused by an egg, etc. Since every chicken originates from its egg, it seems obvious the egg came first. Put simply, the reason is down to the fact that genetic material does not change during an animal's life. The solution may require an examination of syntax and may rely on verification from advances in modern genetic science. When used in reference to difficult problems of causality, the chicken and egg dilemma is often used to appeal to the futility of debate and lay it to rest.

History of the problem

The earliest reference to the dilemma is found in Plutarch's Moralia, in the books titled "Table Talk," in a series of arguments based on questions posed in a symposium. Under the section entitled, "Whether the hen or the egg came first," the discussion is introduced in such a way as to suggest that the origin of the dilemma was even older:

"...the problem about the egg and the hen, which of them came first, was dragged into our talk, a difficult problem which gives investigators much trouble. And Sulla my comrade said that with a small problem, as with a tool, we were rocking loose a great and heavy one, that of the creation of the world..."

Various answers have been formulated in response to the question, many of them humorous.

As suggested by the alternative definitions and solutions given below, the chicken-or-egg dilemma has multiple semantic variants and can thus be viewed as an exercise in semantics. Regarding at least two of these variants, the field of biology contains decisive contextual information. Although the problem has been around in one form or another for millennia, making it difficult or impossible to know who first "solved" it, the biological information needed to resolve all of the obvious semantic variants has only been available for decades.

A modern analysis covering all of the major variants was authored by Christopher Langan, published in 2001 on the Mega Foundation website[1], and subsequently included in his book of essays, The Art of Knowing [1]. It appeared again in The Improper Hamptonian [2], was included in abbreviated form in a 2001 Long Island Newsday Q&A column featuring Langan [3], and was compactly summarized in Langan's 2001 Popular Science interview.

A CNN article on May 26, 2006 featured an analysis, according to which the egg came first [2]. The key criteria on which CNN bases its answer, involving relatively recent findings from reproductive and evolutionary biology, are identical to several of those cited in the prior analysis.

Answer 2

The Chicken came first.
It doesnt matter if you beleive in Evolution, or the way the Bible portrays the making of all animals.
In the Bible: God created living things. Not the egg or the embryo they came from.
It is a fact that a chiken Egg needs a Rooster to fertilize it. Or else it will not hatch. It also needs the warmth of a chicken to keep it alive (but chicken eggs have hatched without their mothers, obviously.By human intervention, such as a heating lamp.)
So, the Chicken came first.

Answer your question..? = )

Answer 3

God sent the chicken and the egg,
The finish line was set in Africa,
The chicken ran , flew, and ran again,
The egg rolled and rolled over.
The race was very close.
The chicken and the egg had a photo finish.
They were in dispute.
The referee was Satan. and he never was a good one.
There were replays, and many more replays.
Finally God decided.
Gave his verdict.
He said, "Benedict" (pope)
Tell them
that the chicken ... ah Forget it"

So to this day it is till undecided.
but I had a vision.
On a mid Summers night.

The Duck laid an egg.
It was a misdemeanor on her part.
he jeans were altered and when it hatched,
out came a chick
and grew into a hen.

Thus the problem was solved.

But that always reminds me of
who came first, The duck or its Egg.

Answer 4

A bird, very similar to a chicken, laid an egg. The embryo within that egg has some kind of genetic mutation so that when it hatched is hatched as a chicken.

So the egg came first.

Answer 5

Ahh... A question that has been asked for centuries... A question that has started many wars. But to this day, no one knows for sure.

According to The Greeks, the chicken came first, but according to Hector of Troy, the egg came first. And thousands of deaths ensued. According to the north, who didn't believe in slavery, thus having to collect their own eggs, the chicken came first. According to the south, who fought to the death for slavery, and never had to once collect eggs as they had slaves to do it for them, insisted it was the egg. You know how that turns out.

I think, that with all the controversey, all the violence, and all the deaths surrounding this loaded question, it is best to just not ask it at all.

Answer 6

A chicken and an egg are lying in bed. The chicken is smoking a cigarette with a satisfied smile on its face. The egg is frowning and looking a bit pissed off. The egg mutters to no one in particular, "Well, I guess we answered THAT question!"

Answer 7

It must be the egg... Because I always c*m before the chicken ;)

Answer 8

The chicken.

Answer 9

Two chickens, and then the hen laid an egg.

I think it must be the chicken for Creationists and the egg for scientists

Answer 10

the egg because god made the egg the egg hatched and then that chicken laid an egg