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Questions tagged [paradox]

This tag is for arguments that produce an inconsistency with common sense.

Paradoxes are interesting, because they often show places where our intuition or logic fail.

Take the Liar Paradox:

The first sentence in this essay is a lie. There is something odd about saying so, as has been known since ancient times. To see why, remember that all lies are untrue. Is the first sentence true? If it is, then it is a lie, and so it is not true. Conversely, suppose that it is not true. As we (viz., the authors) have said it, presumably with the intention of you believing it when it is not true, it is a lie. But then it is true! ... Lying is a complicated matter, but what's puzzling about sentences like the first one of this essay isn't essentially tied to intentions, social norms, or anything like that. Rather, it seems to have something to do with truth, or at least, some semantic notion related to truth.

In this case, a single sentence leads immediately to questions about how we consider truth.

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Irresistible force paradox as an inconsistent formal theory

The irresistible force paradox asks the following question: "What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?" I ask myself the following question: we could construct a system of axioms asserting the existence of forces, motions…
Davius
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Are paradoxes counterarguments?

Sometimes I hear examples of paradoxes, like The Grandfather Paradox: if you went back in time and killed your grandfather then you wouldn't have been born, so you couldn't go back to kill your grandfather, which means you couldn't have killed your…
user32499
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What qualifies as the solving of a paradox?

How/when and by what criteria is a paradox considered to be solved? EDIT I understand that rejecting a premise and/or finding a flaw in reasoning can be wholly subjective. Considering the "this page is intentionally left blank" paradox, I could…
Tim Burnett - Bassist
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Epimenides paradox

So today I am in my Theory of knowledge class at my high school and my teacher presents Epimenides paradox. At first I was excited but then I noticed something. the statement that he put up was "All cretans are liars." This statement fails to…
Jeremy Correa
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Self referential paradoxial statement with a twist

Self referential statements can be paradoxical as known since ancient times. (Some of this basic paradoxes had immense impact on my own field -mathematics.) Of course, paradoxical self-referential statement plays a role also in humor. The following…
Gil Kalai
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Correcting a causal paradox via "simulating the cause?"

Firstly, this is a thought experiment -- I am aware that time is a "one way street." I think this question may be inappropriate for the forum, so I would greatly appreciate a referral to a more appropriate medium (and if you have the time, a serious…
Konstantin Ashkenazy
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unanswerable questions

Let me define "unanswerable question" as one that must use at least one term whose definition depends on the answer to the question. Let me define "a ranking" as a sequence by which priority is assigned. True or false: Any ranking of internally…
21stCenturyParadox
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What will happen if Pinocchio says: My nose is going to grow

If his nose is not growing, he is telling a lie and his nose will grow but then he is telling the truth and it can't happen. If his nose is growing, he is telling the truth, so it can't happen. If his nose will grow, he will be telling the truth,…
Rodrigo
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Did calculus solve Zeno's paradoxes

Let's start form two versions of Dichotomy paradox Version 1: Anyone can't walk though any distance without walk though half of it and so on. solution 0 (?) ... which is false I think, that's not what the statement talking about For any distance d…
Ethan
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Understanding Curry's Paradox

I was trying to understand Curry's Paradox on wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curry%27s_paradox The example given is: To produce Curry's paradox, as described in the two steps above, apply this method to the sentence "if this sentence…
novice
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Is "Forever falling to the bottom" a paradox?

Writing an English paper that requires a paradox. Is the above a paradox?
Connor
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Which paradoxes are regarded as logical paradoxes?

Here are four of what I would call logical paradoxes: The Liar Curry's sentence Biscuit conditionals Bertrand Russell's set which contains all sets which do not contain themselves We can perhaps define a logical paradox as a statement which…
Speakpigeon
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Isn't the sorites paradox predicated on a non-understanding of what a heap is?

Under the assumption that removing a single grain does not turn a heap into a non-heap, the paradox is to consider what happens when the process is repeated enough times: is a single remaining grain still a heap? If not, when did it change from a…
Hierarchist
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What are some true paradoxes in philosophy?

Some logical paradoxes are known to be invalid arguments, so I want to know what are some of the paradoxes based on valid logic in philosophy. So could you identify some of them?
Sayaman
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Will uncertainty always have one exception?

Uncertainty discerns that one is always uncertain about everything. For instance, 1+1 may not necessarily equal 2, and our existence may be figments of imagination. Would this theory always have one exception: You are certain that you are uncertain?
Harker Madison
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