Paradox
noun
An apparently logical or true principle or assumption that, when investigated, results in illogical or self-contradictory outcomes
An assertion or idea that appears self-contradictory or nonsensical but which may actually be true
A person or thing that appears to have contradictory traits
Usage
The famous World War II novel Catch-22 is based on a hilariously disturbing premise. The pilots of the fictional 256th squadron have to fly an endless number of incredibly dangerous missions. The only way a pilot can get out of flying the missions is by proving himself insane. However, because the missions are so absurdly dangerous, the very act of trying to get out of flying them proves that a person is sane, making escape seemingly impossible. The vexing, illogical loop is a great example of a paradox. Creative paradoxes like the one in Catch-22 can be fun illustrations of the limits of language and the types of irrational thinking we all fall into sometimes.
A paradox is an assertion or concept that, when investigated, is found to be self-conflicting or otherwise irrational. One of the simplest and most well-known paradox is the liar’s paradox: “This sentence is false.” Seems fine at first – the sentence is just explaining that it isn’t true. But if the sentence is indeed false, then the sentence is accurate, and so it must actually be true! On the other hand, if the sentence is true, it must really be false, and…we end up with a circular, self-opposing mess. Because of their self-contradicting nature, these types of paradoxes have no logical meaning. In other words, they are nonsense.
For a more complex example of a paradox, consider the omnipotence paradox. The most common version of the omnipotence paradox asks the following question: “Could an infinitely powerful being create a rock so heavy that the being could not lift it?” For the being to be omnipotent, it would have to be able to lift any rock, even one of its own creation. But that would make the being incapable of creating a rock it couldn’t lift, making the being not omnipotent after all. In this paradox, a hypothetical deity is disqualified in either instance from being all-powerful. Some atheistic philosophers and other religious thinkers have cited this paradox as a challenge to the existence of an almighty god.
A little less commonly, a paradox can also be a conclusion that intuitively seems illogical yet which could potentially be demonstrated as true. This type of paradox arises when expectations and common sense are evidently at odds with reality. For instance, take the paradox of value. Common sense tells us that the more useful something is, the more it should cost. If that’s the case, though, then why is water so much less expensive than diamonds? When you think about it, the idea seems absurd, since water is much more valuable for survival than diamonds. Still, experience proves that a case of water is far cheaper than even a tiny diamond, making the relationship a paradox. Another example of a paradox is the fact that Earth revolves around the Sun, rather than the other way around. Until Copernicus came along, most people took for granted that the Sun revolved around Earth, since that’s what their perceptions told them. From an Earthling’s perspective, Earth seems to be stationary, and the Sun seems to swing around it over the course of a day. But with this type of paradox, perceiving something in a certain way doesn’t guarantee we’re seeing it accurately.
Finally, a paradox can refer to a person or thing which bears or exhibits traits which seem like they should clash. Introversion and extroversion are considered to be antithetical traits, for example, so a person who relishes the chance to party with large groups of friends but is shy around new people might be called a paradox. A paradox in this sense might be quite confusing, especially if two apparently dissonant qualities are harmonized in a single person.
Example: The fact that your first slice of pizza is worth less than your second is a paradox explained by the law of diminishing marginal utility.
Example: His odd taste in food - for instance his love of banana bread but disgust for bananas - made him quite the culinary paradox.
Example: My cellphone’s user’s manual included a paradox: “If the phone does not turn on, call technical support.”
Example: Needing to drink coffee when one is too sleepy to make coffee is one of the many paradoxes of life.
Origin
Is it any wonder that paradox originates with the same ancient civilization of thinkers that brought us democracy, the Pythagorean theorem, and theatrical fart jokes? Paradox originally derives from the ancient Greek paradoxos, which means “peculiar,” “unbelievable,” or “unexpected” and is made up of the prefix para-, meaning “against,” and doxa, meaning “opinion.” Doxa is taken from the Greek dokein, which translates as “to think” or “to be perceived as.” Paradoxos made its way into Latin as paradoxum, used to mean “a claim that appears false but is actually true.” Middle French speakers later developed their own variation, paradoxe, which bore the same meaning as paradoxum. When paradox finally surfaced in English sometime in the 1530s, it meant “an argument or assertion that contradicts common knowledge.” About 30 years later, the word took on the additional meaning of “an assertion that appears absurd or self-defeating yet is possibly true or rational.”
Derivative Words
Paradoxical: The adjective form of paradox notes when something is apparently self-conflicting or illogical.
Example: Since it seems so unlikely, some people find the mathematical proof showing that in a group of 23 people there is a 50% chance that two of them share the same birthday to be paradoxical.
Example: Our dog had more energy after the hike than she’d had at the start, which seemed paradoxical to me.
Paradoxically: Paradoxically describes an action, adjective, or other adverb as exhibiting or relating to a counterintuitive or seemingly inconsistent relationship.
Example: In climates that get more snow, there are paradoxically less car accidents in the winter due to drivers being more aware of the danger of icy roads.
In Literature
From Daphne Rae’s Love Until It Hurts:
I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.
Rae illustrates the counterintuitive nature of love by remarking that when one pours their affection into another to the point of pain, the love actually ends up alleviating the pain. The idea that reaching pain cures one’s own hurt is a paradox of interpersonal warmth.
Mnemonic
A paradox is a pair of conflicting ideas.
Tags
Logic, Ideas, Philosophy, Contradictions
Bring out the linguist in you! What is your own interpretation of paradox. Did you use paradox in a game? Provide an example sentence or a literary quote.