What Is a Paradox?

By jamie

Article Sources

Medical Expert

More About Us

A paradox is a theoretical situation or a statement that is self-contradictory. True paradoxes cannot be solved because of their contradictory nature, although some paradoxes are not paradoxes at all, but seemingly impossible problems with a difficult to spot answer.

Paradoxes are often used as a thought experiment, and many have been mulled over by philosophers and other great thinkers down through the ages. Some people claim to have been able to solve the problems, but the answers that they give are not always convincing. Regardless, here’s a few examples of some of the best-known paradoxes of all, some of which you may have encountered already.

1. The Crocodile Paradox

In the Middle Ages, there was a term known as “crocodolite,” which was a reference to this paradox when faced with paradoxical situations. The paradox goes that one day, a young boy and his mother were by the riverside, and a crocodile appears and snatches the boy away. The mother pleads with the crocodile for the boy’s safe return, and they agree to a deal. If the mother guesses correctly whether or not he will return the boy, then the boy will be returned.

If the mother guesses correctly that the boy will not be returned, then the croc must still return the boy, in contrary to the mother’s guess. If her guess is wrong then the croc must keep the boy despite not having intended to do so.

Related Articles