Paradox: A Visual Essay

Samantha Levine

“Absurdity often seems a pale imitation of paradox.”

To understand paradoxes is to be able to hold two conflicting ideas in your head at the same time. And maybe to give both equal credibility. It’s about merging two things that seem incongruent into some-thing that, some how, makes sense.

How do we sort out the paradox that even though the our consumption lifestyle is causing global warming, most people are unlikely to change their buying habits? Or the paradox that we make decisions that fill our lives with more minutia, but the more bits we’re surrounded with, the poorer decisions we make? Or how about the paradox that even though our hyper-connected world exposes us to more conflicting view points, we actually become more narrow-minded because we choose places where others only agree with us?

“It removes that default state of distrust, and displaces it with respect and insight. Things aren’t black and white. They are gray. We’re gray”.

Amusement is one of the best parts of paradoxes, but their applica-tion is wider and more important. I think an increased tolerance for paradox is a crucial requirement for a person to be able to cope with the world today.

Our access to information has created more paradoxes. We’ve made pieces of conflicting infor-mation more accessible than any other point in time. Unfortunately, we’ve mistaken cynicism as the tool we need to cope with this conflict of information.

It seems much more healthy to me to accept that two pieces of contradicting information can both some how be true.

Have a better idea of what a paradox is now? Let’s continue on to some larger examples of paradox that appear in works of literature. In doing so, examin-ing their purpose will become an important part of the process.

In George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the words “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others” are part of the cardinal rules. Clearly this statement does not make logical sense. However, the point of a paradox is to point out a truth, even if the statements contradict each other.

Orwell is trying to make some sort of political statement here. Perhaps it is that the government claims that everyone is equal when that is clearly false, or perhaps it is that individuals have skewed percep-tions of what it means to be equal. The interpretation is up to the reader to decide.

“Maybe the most paradoxical thing is that we need to create even more to understand the ones that are already there. Paradox is all around us. Respond accordingly.”

One of the most well known examples that teachers frequent-

ly use to introduce the idea of a paradox is a “jumbo shrimp.”

Certainly, “jumbo” and “shrimp” are contradictory statements.

However, that is merely an introductory example, since a

shrimp can certainly be jumbo sized in comparison to other

smaller shrimp. Still, it is an appropriate starting point for

students who are new to the concept of paradox.

“Paradox can prove to be very revealing about human nature and the way that we speak.”

“an assertion that is essentially self contradictory”

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the title character states “I must be cruel to be kind.” On the surface, once again, this statement does not seem to make much sense. Can an individual con-vey kindness through evil?

It is much more interesting for a reader to carve out the meaning, than to have it fed to them on a silver platter. Furthermore, summing up the totality of the work in one statement is more memorable. “I must be cruel to be kind” is a famous statement that has transcended history, whether or not people know where the words originally came from.

After examining the examples from works of literature, one will see that a paradox is not just a witty or amusing statement.

“Paradoxes have serious implications in the world of literature, because they make statements that often sum up the the main ideas of the work.”

A paradox is a sentence which defies logic and embraces absurdity, while holding on to truth and compelling one to think.

“I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.” - Mother Theresa

It seems much more healthy to accept that two pieces of contradicting information can both some how be true.

“A rich man is no richer than a beggar”.

We’ve made pieces of conflicting information more accessible than any other point in time. Unfortunately, we’ve mistaken cynicism as the tool we need to cope with this conflict of information.

“To understand paradoxes is to be able to hold two conflicting ideas in your head at the same time. And maybe to give both equal credibility.”