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Paradox Meaning

Paradox Meaning 

‘Paradox meaning’ is something that has been searched for quite a lot on the internet. A paradox is a statement that is deemed self-contradictory. It is a statement that runs contrary to one’s expectations. Despite having valid reasoning from true premises, a paradox leads to a statement that is seemingly self-contradictory or has a logically unacceptable conclusion. A paradox generally involves interrelated elements that exist are contradictory and yet exist simultaneously. They persist over time and result in a persistent contradiction between interdependent elements which leads to what is known as a unity of opposites.

There are several types of paradoxes. The most common and famous paradoxes are the logical paradoxes and they provide valuable insights into critical thinking, while some others are mathematical paradoxes that only seem to be paradoxes but are really only mathematical problems that seem so. 

An example of a logical paradox is the Ship of Theseus. The paradox runs thus – consider Theseus owns a ship. He removes one part of the ship and replaces it with a new one. However, as he does so, he keeps the removed part aside. One by one, he replaces each and every part of the ship with a new piece. Now, with all the pieces that were set aside, he creates a new ship. Which ship is the original Ship of Theseus? This tackles a deeper ontological question that Sorites asks regarding the definition of a ‘heap of sand’. 

An example of a mathematical paradox is the potato paradox. If a person has 100 kg of potatoes, which contains 99% of water, and they reduce the amount of water present in the potato from 99% to 98%, how much weight in potatoes will be left behind? The answer is surprisingly 50 kg. Even though this seems counterintuitive, it is not so mathematically. It is actually a great way to learn about the concept of proportionality and ratios, which is what this is based on. 


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