Etymology of Paradox
Etymologically, the term paradox shows its origin in French and subsequently from Latin language. Its Latin version is paradoxum that means a statement that is absurd yet true. In Grecian language, it is paradoxon that means not a believable statement. However, it has entered in the English language from French where it is paradoxe which also is a contradictory statement.
Meanings of Paradox
Semantically, it means fantastic or absurd. However, a full statement that is called a paradox is actually illogical and contradictory. In rhetoric, it is used in arguments though with good premises and illogical conclusions. Despite this, it makes sense.
Definition of Paradox
In literature, it is a literary device that seems to oppose its own logic, yet it seems sensible or that seems a practical way out.
Difference between Paradox and Oxymoron
| Paradox | Oxymoron | |
| Definition | A statement or situation that appears contradictory or absurd but may actually be true or logical. | A figure of speech that combines two contradictory terms to create a paradoxical effect or meaning. |
| Meaning | Paradoxes often reveal deeper truths and challenge conventional thinking. | Oxymorons create a dramatic or humorous effect and may involve wordplay or irony. |
| Structure | Paradoxes can be longer statements or situations that contain contradictory elements or ideas. | Oxymorons consist of two opposing words or concepts placed together for a specific effect or emphasis. |
| Examples | “I can resist anything except temptation.” – Oscar Wilde | “Living dead,” “jumbo shrimp,” “bittersweet” |
| Purpose | Paradoxes provoke thought, create tension, or highlight the complexity of a situation. | Oxymorons evoke a specific emotion, create humor, or emphasize a contrasting idea. |
Types of Paradox
1. Veridical: A statement that appears to be false but is actually true.
Example: “This statement is false.”
2. Self-referential: Statements that refer to themselves in a way that creates a contradiction.
Example: “I always lie.”
3. Epistemic: Paradoxes arising from issues of knowledge and truth.
Example: The liar paradox – “This sentence is false.”
4. Zeno’s paradox: These involve a series of logical or mathematical steps leading to a seemingly contradictory conclusion.
Example: Achilles and the Tortoise paradox.
5. Sorites paradox: Paradoxes of gradual change in quantity or quality leading to a contradiction.
Example: The paradox of the heap – When does a collection of grains become a heap?
6. Fitch’s paradox: Paradoxes related to knowledge and belief, where a statement cannot be known unless it is true, but it cannot be true unless it is known.
Example: “I do not know that this statement is true.”
7. Russell’s paradox: A paradox in set theory that arises when considering sets that do not contain themselves as members.
Example: The set of all sets that do not contain themselves.
8. Berry paradox: A paradox that arises when defining a number that cannot be described by a finite number of words.
Example: “The smallest number that cannot be described in fewer than twenty words.”
9. Paradox of the preface: The belief that although individual statements in a book may be true, the book as a whole may contain falsehoods.
Example: A book claiming to contain all known facts but admitting there may be errors.
10. Ship of Theseus paradox: A paradox questioning the identity of an object when all its original parts have been replaced over time.
Example: If all the planks of a ship are replaced, is it still the same ship?
11. Grandfather paradox: A paradox arising from time travel, where a person traveling back in time could potentially prevent their own birth.
Example: A person goes back in time and prevents their grandparents from meeting, thereby erasing their own existence.
12. Unexpected hanging paradox: A paradox involving a death sentence and a surprise execution that cannot be logically predicted.
Example: A prisoner is told they will be hanged on a weekday but cannot deduce which day the hanging will occur.
13. Bootstrap paradox: In this type, an object or information exists without any origin or creator.
Example: A person receives a time machine blueprint from their future self and uses it to build the time machine, creating a loop.
14. Omnipotence paradox: It means questioning whether an omnipotent being can create a task it cannot complete.
Example: Can an all-powerful being create a stone so heavy that they cannot lift it?
15. Fermi paradox: It explores the contradiction between the probability of extraterrestrial civilizations and the lack of evidence to support this argument.
Example: If intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe, why haven’t we detected any signals or signs of their presence?
Common Examples
- To save money, you need to spend it.
- Knowing nothing means knowing everything.
- Under your brave face lies a coward.
- You are residing in a vulnerably safe house.
- When you live together, you live alone.
- To know more, you need to forget more.
- If you want to get more, you need to lose more.
Literary Examples of Paradox
| Paradox | Reference | Interpretation |
| “I can resist anything except temptation.” | Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere’s Fan | This statement shows that it contradicts itself. It highlights the character’s weakness and adds humor to the play. |
| “This statement is false.” | Lewis Carroll, “What the Tortoise Said to Achilles” | Here it questions the nature of truth and language, as the statement cannot be simultaneously true and false. |
| “Less is more.” | Robert Browning, “Andrea del Sarto” | Here it challenges conventional wisdom and suggests that simplicity or restraint can be more effective or powerful than excess or elaboration. |
| “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” | George Orwell, Animal Farm | This paradox highlights the hypocrisy and corruption of power, where some individuals or groups may have more privilege despite the claim of equality. |
| “The child is the father of the man.” | William Wordsworth, “My Heart Leaps Up” | This paradox suggests that childhood experiences shape a person’s adult identity and challenges linear notions of time, emphasizing the influence of the past. |
| “O miserable of happy! Is this the end Of this new glorious world?” | John Milton, Paradise Lost | This paradox reflects Satan’s complex character, experiencing both misery and happiness simultaneously, despite their opposing nature. |
These paradoxes, each with their unique references and interpretations, demonstrate the intriguing nature of paradoxical statements found in literature and provoke thought by challenging conventional thinking and highlighting the complexities of human experience.
Suggested Readings
- Abrams, M.H., and Geoffrey Galt Harpham. A Glossary of Literary Terms. 12th ed., Cengage Learning, 2019.
- Culler, Jonathan. Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, 2011.
- Eco, Umberto. Six Walks in the Fictional Woods. Harvard University Press, 1994.
- Frow, John. Genre. Routledge, 2015.
- Frye, Northrop. Anatomy of Criticism: Four Essays. Princeton University Press, 2000.
- Harmon, William, and Hugh Holman. A Handbook to Literature. 12th ed., Pearson, 2015.
- Lodge, David. The Art of Fiction. Vintage, 1992.
- McHale, Brian. Postmodernist Fiction. Routledge, 1987.
- Preminger, Alex, et al., editors. The New Princeton Encyclopaedia of Poetry and Poetics. 3rd ed., Princeton University Press, 1993.
- Tyson, Lois. Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide. 3rd ed., Routledge, 2014.
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