chicken-and-egg

A situation where there may be infinite regress is popularly called a "chicken-and-egg problem" based on the question "What came first, the chicken or the egg?"

NYT > Home Page By PRADEEP MUTALIK 2011

Something else I'm concerned about is that in order to take the exam, you must FIRST be working as a financial analyst (I don't remember the exact requirement, but it is some nearly chicken-and-egg type thing).

Free Trade in Tech Labor, Arnold Kling | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty 2009

This could be a chicken-and-egg problem, pointed out geriatric psychiatrist Dr. Gary Kennedy from Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.

Sleep apnea may raise dementia risk in women 2011

That's a chicken-and-egg question best left to philosophers.

Poll: Fox News watchers far more likely to have negative views of Muslims Greg Sargent 2011

Our principal, Susan Kurland, understood that Nettelhorst suffered from the classic chicken-and-egg dilemma: The school needed to improve to attract neighborhood families, yet it needed that same community to help direct, enable, and sustain that change.

Jacqueline Edelberg: Principals Can't Go It Alone Jacqueline Edelberg 2010

In a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation, European markets reacted to the U.S.'s economic climate and vice versa, Dow Jones Newswires's John Shipman reports on the News Hub.

Stocks End Week on a Sour Note Steven Russolillo 2011

In some ways, Mr. Manning's rating is the result of his willingness to develop a public personality — a chicken-and-egg scenario.

Forget Passing, Which QB Is Most Marketable? 2011

Since aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases are proteins, that necessity suffers from the chicken-and-egg problem when trying to explain the origin of translation.

Are Stereochemical Explanations Causally Sufficient? 2010

He said some property owners want to wait and see if electric cars sell well — the very chicken-and-egg situation that car makers and the government hope to avoid by having chargers installed first.

Scouting Sites for an Electric Future Rebecca Smith 2010

Thus, in an RNA world, there is not necessarily a chicken-and-egg problem.

Are Stereochemical Explanations Causally Sufficient? 2010