Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Reductio ad absurdum, painting by John Pettie exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1884. In logic, reductio ad absurdum (Latin for "reduction to absurdity"), also known as argumentum ad absurdum (Latin for "argument to absurdity") or apagogical arguments, is the form of argument that attempts to establish a claim by showing that the opposite scenario would lead to absurdity or contradiction.
A paradox is a logically self-contradictory statement or a statement that runs contrary to one's expectation. [ 1 ][ 2 ] It is a statement that, despite apparently valid reasoning from true or apparently true premises, leads to a seemingly self-contradictory or a logically unacceptable conclusion. [ 3 ][ 4 ] A paradox usually involves ...
For example, given the statement "if you press the button then the light comes on", it must be true at any given moment that either you have not pressed the button, or the light is on. In short, what obtains is not that ¬C yields a contradiction, only that it necessitates A, because ¬A is what actually yields the contradiction.
The Epimenides paradox is usually classified as a variation on the liar paradox, and sometimes the two are not distinguished. The study of self-reference led to important developments in logic and mathematics in the twentieth century. In other words, it is not a paradox once one realizes "All Cretans are liars" being untrue only means "Not all ...
It is a proposition that is unconditionally false (i.e., a self-contradictory proposition). [2][3]This can be generalized to a collection of propositions, which is then said to "contain" a contradiction. History. [edit] By creation of a paradox, Plato's Euthydemusdialogue demonstrates the need for the notion of contradiction.
Birthday paradox: In a random group of only 23 people, there is a better than 50/50 chance two of them have the same birthday. Borel's paradox: Conditional probability density functions are not invariant under coordinate transformations. Boy or Girl paradox: A two-child family has at least one boy.
In literature, the paradox is an anomalous juxtaposition of incongruous ideas for the sake of striking exposition or unexpected insight. It functions as a method of literary composition and analysis that involves examining apparently contradictory statements and drawing conclusions either to reconcile them or to explain their presence. [ 1 ]
Contents. Catch-22 (logic) A catch-22 is a paradoxical situation from which an individual cannot escape because of contradictory rules or limitations. [ 1 ] The term was coined by Joseph Heller, who used it in his 1961 novel Catch-22. Catch-22s often result from rules, regulations, or procedures that an individual is subject to, but has no ...