6 replies to this topic

[Argon]

par·a·dox /?p?r??d?ks/ Spelled Pronunciation[par-uh-doks]
–noun 1. a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.
2. a self-contradictory and false proposition.
3. any person, thing, or situation exhibiting an apparently contradictory nature.
4. an opinion or statement contrary to commonly accepted opinion.

[Origin: 1530–40; < L paradoxum < Gk parádoxon, n. use of neut. of parádoxos unbelievable, lit., beyond belief.

co·nun·drum /k??n?ndr?m/ Spelled Pronunciation[kuh-nuhn-druhm]
–noun 1. a riddle, the answer to which involves a pun or play on words, as What is black and white and read all over? A newspaper.
2. anything that puzzles.

[Origin: 1590–1600; pseudo-L word of obscure orig.]

A Paradox creates a loop of thought that has a solution with dire consequence that most often results in something that is unacceptable..

A Conundrum is a riddle with an acceptable solution..

This thread might clairify the delineation of the two..

[Ender of Games]

The point of a paradox is not that it is a puzzle, but that it is confusing and yet may be true. I think a lot more people need to know what it means, I have very bad experience with people that don't know what they are talking about. Thanks for posting this!

[Argon]

The point of a paradox is not that it is a puzzle, but that it is confusing and yet may be true. I think a lot more people need to know what it means, I have very bad experience with people that don't know what they are talking about. Thanks for posting this!

The puzzle of the Paradox is one that requires a soulution.. Just as those who questioned gravity and energy, the depth of resolving the problem is much like going back in time and killing ones Grandmother.. The impact would not be an issue if she had already given birth to your Mother..

I enjoy a good conundrum once in a while..

[Eugenia]

A Paradox creates a loop of thought that has a solution with dire consequence that most often results in something that is unacceptable..
A Conundrum is a riddle with an acceptable solution..

The way I see it, a conundrum's nonexistant solution may be a paradox, and thus that cunundrum is a paradox itself. Many of us gather to "solve" a paradox, wether is or is not posed in a question/conundrum form, because we find that the supposed paradox is not really a paradox. When it is posed in question form, we attempt to discern an acceptable solution (one that is not a paradox). When simply a statement, it is still indirectly a question anyway. I find that a good definition for a paradox is a rare infinitly looping occurence that repeatedly contradicts itself. Because it is quite so rare an occurance, and such a strange thing to find, we try to puzzle it out and prove that is not truly a paradox, but rather a simple, common - yet complicated - conundrum. It's as if when we see such a rarely occuring loop, we instinctively ask ourselves "Is this really a paradox? - or is it just a puzzle?". A paradox is a question with a unsoluble, contradictory answer. They seem to of created their own form of a conundrum.

Personally, I always try to "solve" paradoxes. To me, they are simply a puzzle in discuise. They challenge your mind just as well as a regular logic puzzle, because they are logic puzzles anyway - if a acceptable solution can be found.

[ybom]

Spoiler for So then when is a paradox not a paradox?

When it becomes only a conundrum.

[SillouhetteMind]

Spoiler for The way I see it...

A paradox is a situation which has no solution and goes against universal laws.

A conundrum is a puzzling situation that has a solution.

What was the point of this question anyway??

[ybom]

Spoiler for The way I see it...

A paradox is a situation which has no solution and goes against universal laws.

A conundrum is a puzzling situation that has a solution.

What was the point of this question anyway??

Was this in response to me?

The point I was trying to make was that a paradox could turn into a conundrum if "solved", aka it looks like a paradox for quite some time but really isn't. A legendary example is the Gordion's Knot.