Paradoxes

Paradox arises when claims we take to be obviously or necessarily true lead us to conclusions that seem obviously false or incoherent. Avoiding and resolving paradox is, then, a vitally important philosophical task. Attempting to do so leads us to some surprising conclusions about such wide-ranging topics as linguistic practice, the behaviors of space and time, what it is to be rational, and even the nature of truth itself. In this course, we will survey some of the most famous paradoxes in the philosophical literature, and discuss what they tell us about the world and our way of thinking.