# Why does paper beat rock? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 12, 2005, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-paper-beat-rock/335321 "2005-12-12T21:59:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AngryLizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d78d45/32.png) [@AngryLizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngryLizard)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-paper-beat-rock/335321/1 "2005-12-12T21:59:15Z")
Friends and I had a debate over this last night, and despite our best efforts at finding the answer at the bottom of a pitcher of beer, we are still left scratching our heads. Has anyone been able to justify this? ---
**Author:** ![Gaudere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@Gaudere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaudere)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-paper-beat-rock/335321/2 "2005-12-12T22:00:28Z")
[Moderator Hat ON] 1…2…3. Moderator beats Poster. Off to IMHO. [Moderator Hat OFF] ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-paper-beat-rock/335321/3 "2005-12-12T22:00:50Z")
Rock breaks scissors, scissors cut paper, paper wraps rock. Message-button I once saw at an SF convention: ROCK IS DEAD! Long live paper and scissors! ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-paper-beat-rock/335321/4 "2005-12-12T22:00:52Z")
Paper covers rock. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-paper-beat-rock/335321/5 "2005-12-12T22:01:20Z")
Nothing beat rock. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-paper-beat-rock/335321/6 "2005-12-12T22:02:38Z")
Nothing _beats_ rock. I was in such a hurry to get the obvious Seinfeld reference in, I messed it up. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Sgt.Pepper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Sgt.Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sgt.Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-paper-beat-rock/335321/7 "2005-12-12T22:05:02Z")
Wow, good question, one I’ve often wondered about. Okay, even if paper wraps rock, how does that make it a winner? The rock is still usable. Hell, one could even bash the scissors up with a paper covered rock. In the other examples, the losing object gets destroyed, so how does the paper winning over rock thing fit into that? Maybe it’s a knowledge thing. Paper represents the passing on of knowledge, and rock represents war or aggression, so education would defeat brute force. Does that make sense? ---
**Author:** ![Mbossa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@Mbossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mbossa)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-paper-beat-rock/335321/8 "2005-12-12T22:09:48Z")
Paper could wrap scissors as well. In fact, wrapped paper would be more of a hinderance to the scissors than it would be to the rock. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-paper-beat-rock/335321/9 "2005-12-12T22:13:17Z")
> [@Larry Borgia](#): > > Nothing beat rock. Tiger fist beats all! ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-paper-beat-rock/335321/10 "2005-12-12T22:16:43Z")
> [@Larry Borgia](#): > > Nothing _beats_ rock. > > I was in such a hurry to get the obvious \*\*Seinfeld \*\* reference in, I messed it up. :smack: Simpsons, you mean. I’m laughing at you, not with you. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-paper-beat-rock/335321/11 "2005-12-12T22:24:13Z")
> [@](#): > > Maybe it’s a knowledge thing. Paper represents the passing on of knowledge, and rock represents war or aggression, so education would defeat brute force. Does that make sense? I think you’re overanalysing this a little. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-paper-beat-rock/335321/12 "2005-12-12T22:26:20Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > Simpsons, you mean. > > I’m laughing at you, not with you. Nope, Seinfeld. Kramer said it. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-paper-beat-rock/335321/13 "2005-12-12T22:28:05Z")
> [@Casey1505](#): > > Tiger fist beats all! Tiger _claw_. Rowwwrr. ---
**Author:** ![Sgt.Pepper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Sgt.Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sgt.Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-paper-beat-rock/335321/14 "2005-12-12T22:28:15Z")
> [@pool](#): > > I think you’re overanalysing this a little. 😉 What exactly do you mean by “overanalysing” and how much do you mean by “little”? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-paper-beat-rock/335321/15 "2005-12-12T22:31:25Z")
Because otherwise the game would be meaningless? I always took “paper covers rock” to mean hides rather than wraps. Not that that clears up very much. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Harmonix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonix)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-paper-beat-rock/335321/16 "2005-12-12T22:34:20Z")
> [@Larry Borgia](#): > > Nope, Seinfeld. Kramer said it. I just watched that episode 10 minutes ago! I’m pretty sure mickey the midget said it. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-paper-beat-rock/335321/17 "2005-12-12T22:36:23Z")
> [@TellMeI'mNotCrazy](#): > > Tiger _claw_. > Rowwwrr. Pen Missle!!! nnnnnyyyyyyyeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrr ---
**Author:** ![Grossbottom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ba8739/32.png) [@Grossbottom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grossbottom)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-paper-beat-rock/335321/18 "2005-12-12T22:37:45Z")
I remember two explanations for it. One was already mentioned, that of paper wrapping rock. I always thought this was dumb; it’s a rock, it’s not like suffocation will occur. The other explanation was that paper cuts rock, using papercuts. This seemed to originate in the fear of school children who were just beginning to encounter large quantities of paper they were expected to handle, and getting regular cuts as a result, and maybe thinking it would be cool if you could somehow fashion a deadly slicing weapon from the contents of your reading book. Of course, it’s equally dumb, as you aren’t likely to saw through a rock using standard paper anytime soon. But, the second was our standard explanation when I was little. The first one was rarely heard. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-paper-beat-rock/335321/19 "2005-12-12T22:38:13Z")
> [@Casey1505](#): > > Pen Missle!!! nnnnnyyyyyyyeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrr I’ve gotta link to it. Probably #1 on my list of favorite links. [http://www.rockpapersaddam.com/](http://www.rockpapersaddam.com/) ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2005, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-paper-beat-rock/335321/20 "2005-12-12T22:41:10Z")
Sorry to doublepost, but there’s a new one! I had no idea [http://www.rockpapersaddam.com/thepainting/](http://www.rockpapersaddam.com/thepainting/) \ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-paper-beat-rock/335321.md?page=2)