paradox

n. a surprising or self-contradictory statement that may nevertheless be true. In philosophy, paradoxes are traditionally classified as logical or semantic. A logical paradox occurs when apparently valid arguments lead to a conclusion that seems contradictory or absurd. For example: God is omnipotent: Omnipotent beings can do anything: Therefore, God can make a stone so big he cannot move it: Therefore, he is not omnipotent. A semantic paradox arises from the words in a proposition. For example: This sentence is not true. The language of paradox is particularly common in poetry and religion, where it may be used to disrupt conventional ways of thinking and perceiving. See also vicious circularity. —paradoxical adj.

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Psychology term of the day

February 16th 2025

cause

1. an event or state that brings about another (its effect).

2. in Aristotelian and rationalist philosophy, an entity or event that is a requirement for another entity or event’s coming to be. Aristotle proposed that there were four types of cause—material, formal, efficient, and final. In the case of a sculpture, for example, the material cause is the stone or metal from which it is made, the formal cause is the form or structure that it takes, the efficient cause is the sculptor, and the final cause is the sculptor’s aim or purpose in making it. —causal adj.