itsastickup t1_ir6uad2 wrote on October 5, 2022 at 7:30 PM

It would be interesting to know when 'paradox' got twisted by logicians and mathematicians to mean seems true but is false instead of seems false but is true.

It's the latter that is genuinely useful and the original meaning. Trust logicians to fuck it all up.

sQGNXXnkceeEfhm t1_ir6wv96 wrote on October 5, 2022 at 7:46 PM

I studied logic and my mentor was a logician. He had a lecture in his back pocket for this.

In short, no, paradoxes are a first-class entity in metamathematics/model theory. A “real” mathematical paradox is a statement that is provably neither provable nor disprovable. Such paradoxes include the continuum hypothesis.

itsastickup t1_ir75dnd wrote on October 5, 2022 at 8:39 PM

I meant it tongue in cheek.

But still, in real life a paradox is something true but appears false. The multiple meanings (with Websters even condescending to a straight 'contradiction' as a final definition of about 5, in contradiction of it's meaningfulness of existence) makes use of the word quite tricky in public debate.

HKei t1_ir77qdo wrote on October 5, 2022 at 8:54 PM

If a word having multiple meanings bothers you I have some bad news about nearly all words for you.

itsastickup t1_ir7b2la wrote on October 5, 2022 at 9:16 PM

LOl, sure :)

But so many parallel and orthogonal meanings and one that just outright defeats the purpose of its existence makes it difficult to use even with context, right?

(I actually very much enjoy the multiple meanings of the word; I wouldn't change the situation.)

Platographer t1_is46r8n wrote on October 13, 2022 at 4:17 AM

I think that a "paradox" is how we describe the impossibility of two contradictory, albeit unassailably true (whether in reality or arguendo), facts. Oftentimes, a paradox describes an inconsistency between logical and experiential truth. Those are my favorite kinds because it pits sensory experience against logic.