Good point. OK, assume it doesn't now:
(just copied and pasted)
Not really UnaB (assuming left path doesn't lead to ruins):
if you were to ask the liar if the left path leads to the ruins, he'd say yes.
since your question is, "if I were to ask you if the left path leads to the ruins, what would you say?" he'd have to lie and say no.



And if the villager who was there happened to be the one who always told the truth, he'll say yes if the path does lead to the ruin, and no if it doesn't.

So if the left path is the correct one,
the truth telling villager will say "yes"
the lying bastard villager will say "yes"

if the path is the wrong one
the truth telling villager says "no"
the lying villager says "no"

Am I missing anything?

If the villager says no, it means the left path doesn't lead to the ruin. Does it necessarily imply that the right one does?

Lets see, the question specifies that there are two paths one path leads to the ruin, the other leads deep into the jungle. So we know that that if the left path doesn't lead to the ruin, the right one does.

But ah, you say, the question doesn't say one path is on the left, and the other on the right. Fine, it could be up and down, or front and back, just replace left with front, and right with back etc...

So you've effectively got both villagers to tell the truth, essentially by taking advantage of double negatives.

I knew the answer to this riddle before because my dad presented it to me once, which is why I didn't bother answering earlier (I didn't get it on my own either, he told me the answer)

 

the truthful guy's answers will be opposite the liar's, but you don't know which one you have.

if you have 1 liar and 1 honest guy, then you can play them against each other to get a double negative.

 

you either need to ask two questions or have two opposite villagers.

 

It doesn't matter, you're getting both villagers to say the same thing.

 

THERES ONLY ONE VILLAGER

 

One big assumption we're making (that isn't specified in the question) though is that both villagers know where the ruins are.

 

hmmm, i think i do get it now, cuz you got the liar lying about his lie. it's early still

 

Again you're right.

I'm saying when you post Naishou's question, both villagers will give the same answer.

if villager A answers "yes", villager B answers "yes"
if villager A answers "no", villager B answers "no"

as you say "THERES ONLY ONE VILLAGER"

that one villager can be villager A or it can be villager B.
lets say villager A is the truth teller and you want to trust only him.

scenario 1 the ONE VILLAGER happens to be A:
he says yes - you trust him, you go left
he says no - you trust him, you go right

scenario 2 the ONE VILLAGER happens to be B:
he says yes - you don't trust him, but you know since he said yes, A would say yes too, you go left
he says no - you don't trust him, but you know since he said no, A would say no too, you go right

ah, but we don't know if the ONE VILLAGER is A or B you say.
doesn't matter, see the pattern, if he says yes, regardless of whether he's A or B, you go left. otherwise you go right.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by The Unabageler
[B]hmmm, i think i do get it now, cuz you got the liar lying about his lie.

 

Jeez guys -- just ask the villager a question whose answer you already know -- like

"Hey, is the sun up right now?"

Then you'll know if he's a liar or not. Then ask him which way the ruins are, and you'll know what to make of his answer.

- Warren