paradox
Self-refuting statement
A paradox is an idea or fact that seems to contradict itself.
A paradox may be true, in which case it has to be explained by unconventional means, or it may be false because of a failure to take a relevant fact into account.
People sometimes use the word to talk about the unusual or counterintuitive, rather than the contradictory: The paradox of human life is the existence of an animal body and instincts with a mind that turns toward the heavens.
Meaning opposite to words
- oxymoronSelf-contradicting phrase device
- dramatic ironyAudience-character knowledge gap
- catch-22Paradoxical no-win situation
- witClever, inventive humor
wordplay · satire · absurdism · Kafka · Wilde · Escher · koan · aphorism
Contradiction between valid conclusions
- ZenoGreek paradox thinker
- infinite regressUnending causal chain
- self-referencePointing to oneself
- circularityState of being round
undecidable · incompleteness · axiom · proof · fallacy · syllogism · tautology · premise
Something hard to fathom
- riddlePuzzling question to solve
- conundrumPerplexing problem or question
- brainteaserPuzzle demanding clever thought
- mysterySomething unexplained or unknown
perplex · cryptic · inscrutable · unfathomable · head-scratcher · mind-bender · impossible · confounding
Direct opposite; contrasting juxtaposition
- inconsistencyLack of steady pattern
- self-contradictionClaim negating itself
- counterintuitiveContrary to expectations
- incongruityLack of harmony
absurdity · illogical · discrepancy · opposition · clash · conflict · dichotomy · juxtaposition
Greek paradox thinker
- beingExisting as something
- nonbeingAbsence of existence
- infinityUnlimited extent or quantity
- free willAutonomous choice capacity
determinism · existence · identity · consciousness · phenomenology · ontology · epistemology · relativism
Wistful yet warm
- deafening silenceConspicuous lack of sound
- living deadCorpses somehow still animated
- alone togetherSecluded as a pair
- virtual realityComputer-created interactive environment
cruel kindness · original copy · open secret · pretty ugly · awfully good · definite maybe · act naturally · random order
Quantum superposition thought experiment
- quantumSmallest discrete unit
- superpositionCoexisting in multiple states
- uncertaintyState of being unsure
- entanglementState of being intertwined
observer effect · relativity · time dilation · EPR · complementarity · measurement problem · wormhole · simultaneity
irony
Meaning opposite to words
- oxymoronSelf-contradicting phrase device
- dramatic ironyAudience-character knowledge gap
- catch-22Paradoxical no-win situation
wit · wordplay · satire · absurdism · Kafka · Wilde · Escher · koan · aphorism · epigram
antinomy
Contradiction between valid conclusions
- ZenoGreek paradox thinker
- infinite regressUnending causal chain
- self-referencePointing to oneself
circularity · undecidable · incompleteness · axiom · proof · fallacy · syllogism · tautology · premise · dialectic
enigma
Something hard to fathom
- riddlePuzzling question to solve
- conundrumPerplexing problem or question
- brainteaserPuzzle demanding clever thought
mystery · perplex · cryptic · inscrutable · unfathomable · head-scratcher · mind-bender · impossible · confounding · baffling
antithesis
Direct opposite; contrasting juxtaposition
- inconsistencyLack of steady pattern
- self-contradictionClaim negating itself
- counterintuitiveContrary to expectations
incongruity · absurdity · illogical · discrepancy · opposition · clash · conflict · dichotomy · juxtaposition · dissonance
Zeno
Greek paradox thinker
free will · determinism · existence · identity · consciousness · phenomenology · ontology · epistemology · relativism · subjectivity
bittersweet
Wistful yet warm
- deafening silenceConspicuous lack of sound
- living deadCorpses somehow still animated
- alone togetherSecluded as a pair
cruel kindness · virtual reality · original copy · open secret · pretty ugly · awfully good · definite maybe · act naturally · random order · old news
Schrödinger's cat
Quantum superposition thought experiment
- quantumSmallest discrete unit
- superpositionCoexisting in multiple states
- uncertaintyState of being unsure
entanglement · observer effect · relativity · time dilation · EPR · complementarity · measurement problem · wormhole · simultaneity
- philosophy termstruth, reason, knowledge, wisdom, logic
- Dualityduality, dual nature, two sides, yin and yang, yin-yang
- ChestertonFather Brown, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Thomas Aquinas, Catholic convert
- Neo-OrthodoxyWord of God, proclamation, encounter, dialectics
- puzzlespuzzles, sudoku, jigsaw puzzle, puzzle cube, crossword
- abstract conceptsemotions, justice, truth, beauty, time
paradoxtruism
Statement needing no proof
axiom · tautology · self-evident truth · postulate · theorem
paradoxcertainty
Total absence of doubt
obviousness · self-evidence · clarity · common sense · straightforwardness
paradoxnormality
State of being typical
regularity · conformity · predictability · consistency · commonplace
- time paradoxSelf-contradicting temporal sequence
- grandfather paradoxTime travel logical contradiction
- time travel paradoxLogical impossibility from chronological displacement
- Fermi paradoxWhy no extraterrestrials yet?
- temporal paradoxLogical impossibility involving time
- Zeno's paradoxesArguments that motion is illusory