What can a paradox be defined as?

Answer 1

A paradox can be simply defined as a true statement or group of statements that leads to a contradiction or situation which defies intuition.

Here is a list of paradoxes:

Barbershop paradox: The supposition that if one of two simultaneous assumptions leads to a contradiction, the other assumption is also disproved leads to paradoxical consequences.

What the Tortoise Said to Achilles "Whatever Logic is good enough to tell me is worth writing down...", also known as Carroll's paradox, not to be confused with the physical paradox of the same name.

Crocodile Dilemma: If a crocodile steals a child and promises its return if the father can correctly guess what the crocodile will do, how should the crocodile respond in the case that the father guesses that the child will not be returned?

Catch-22 (logic): In need of something which can only be had by not being in need of it.

Drinker paradox: In any pub there is a customer such that, if he or she drinks, everybody in the pub drinks.

Paradox of entailment: Inconsistent premises always make an argument valid.

Horse paradox: All horses are the same color.

Lottery paradox: There is one winning ticket in a large lottery. It is reasonable to believe of a particular lottery ticket that it is not the winning ticket, since the probability that it is the winner is so very small. But it is obviously not reasonable to believe that no lottery ticket will win.

Raven paradox (or Hempel's Ravens): Observing a green apple increases the likelihood of all ravens being black.

Unexpected hanging paradox: The day of the hanging will be a surprise, so it cannot happen at all, so it will be a surprise. The surprise examination and Bottle Imp paradox use similar logic.

Answer 2

A paradox is a statement or situation that may seem contradictory or absurd, but may actually be true or have a valid explanation. It often challenges our expectations and assumptions by presenting seemingly illogical ideas.