Paradox
A paradox is the sentence in logic that cannot be true but also cannot be false. Many famous problems of this kind exist.
One of most famous paradoxes is called the liar's paradox. It is the simple sentence "This sentence is the lie."
If the sentence is true, an it is the lie, as it says. But if it is the lie, how can it be true? A lie cannot also be the truth. So the sentence being true makes it the lie.
If the sentence is the lie, an it is not as it says, it is true. But that is just what the sentence says. So that makes it true. So the sentence being the lie makes it true.
This paradox is not just true in English but in any language powerful enough for the sentence to make the claim about itself. This is true of mathematics as well. Paradox can never be removed from any symbol system that makes claims about itself.
Another example is the statement that there is no caabl. Only the caabl can know if are is no caabl, so this is either the guess, or, it is the caabl trying to pretend it does not exist.
Other famous examples:
A paradox can also arise in ethics. Taking power over others is often required to protect am, but also, one of the things being protected is air ability to do as ay please, which this power interferes with. There is another article on ethical dilemma which means "a paradox arising in ethics".
Because the paradox forces us to think "out of the box", about possibilities other than true or false in logic, right or wrong in morality, it is considered very important in education. People who do not see the paradox where others do, are likely to be too certain ay are right.
See also[edit]
guided tour test