A paradox is one of those tricks of language which is worth a place in our thinking. The example given in the dictionary cited above is "it is more relaxing to stand than to sit." It seems unlikely, yet it can be true.
While paradoxes in literature are interesting, their place in academic pursuits can lead to extensive study . For instance, in the study of Christian theology the presence of paradox is the source of theological controversy. The example of Trinity is,perhaps, the best.
Christian theology says that God is one, yet three: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This proposition, central to Christian faith, is an attempt to verbalize the belief that God, Jesus Christ and The Holy Spirit are equal, yet diverse manifestations of the One God. To some, upon reading this, it would seem that the Christians are professing multiple deities...a direct contravention from the claim that Christianity is monotheistic. I won't even attempt to go further in the explanation of the Christian defense of this theological premise. It can be complicated and extensive. (Blog postings are supposed to be brief.)
However, the simple explanation of paradoxes such as this is that some theological premises are mysterious, capable of being held in deep faith without clear, rational, logical explanation. In the realm of faith one's mind has to be capable of the suspension of secularly logical explanation in order to grasp the deeper, more spiritual elements.
In our rational world this is unacceptable to many, and a source of an abandonment of spiritual pursuits altogether. But to billions of people who practice a variety of faiths, the embrace of a non-rational element is natural and not requiring a defense. It is not restricted to Christianity.
Paradox is not restricted to the study of theology, however. Even in the more rational exploration of science, paradoxes emerge regularly. An interesting paradox presented by Margaret Cuonzo in Sorites, a journal of analytical philosophy, says.
1)The hypothesis that the earth is a cube cannot be tested without being conjoined to an indefinitely large set of auxiliary hypotheses.
2) If the hypothesis that the earth is a cube cannot be tested without being conjoined to an indefinitely large set of auxiliary hypotheses, then the hypothesis that the earth is a cube cannot be shown to be mistaken.
3) The hypothesis that the earth is a cube cannot be shown to be mistaken.
Her use of logic in the practice of science leads to this kind of paradoxical conclusion.
For years I have been fascinated with the concept of self-referential paradox in which a statement appears to contradict itself. For instance, if I say, "Everything I say is a lie," then the statement itself is false, since, in saying it, I am telling a lie. Confused? Welcome to the crowd of academics who have pondered such issues for centuries. I think it justifies the placing of the word paradox on the list of the most interesting words in our lexicon.
Photo credit: The Trinity, Hungarian National Gallery of Art; artist unknown
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