Paradoxes Their Roots, Range, and Resolution

by Rescher, Nicholas

• ISBN13: 9780812694376
• ISBN10: 0812694376
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-04-19
• Publisher: Open Court

Summary

A paradox (from the Greek word meaning "contrary to expectation") is a statement that seems self-contradictory but may be true. Exploring the distinction between truth and plausibility, the author presents a standardized, straightforward approach for deciphering paradoxes -- one that can be applied to all their forms, whether clever wordplay or more complex issues.

Author Biography

Nicholas Rescher is University Professor of Philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh

Table of Contents

Detailed Contents	vii
Preface	xiii
Index of Paradoxes Discussed	xv
Summary of Symbols, Technical Terms, and Principles	xix
Aporetics	3	(22)
Paradox Solution via Retention Prioritization	25	(18)
Plausibility as a Guide to Prioritization	43	(14)
Levels of Paradoxicality	57	(20)
Paradoxes of Vagueness	77	(14)
Paradoxes of Ambiguity and Equivocation (Insufficient Distinctions)	91	(26)
Philosophical Paradoxes	117	(20)
Paradoxes of Inappropriate Presupposition (Improper Totalities in Particular)	137	(22)
Mathematical Paradoxes	159	(34)
Semantical Paradoxes that Involve Conflicting Claims regarding Truth	193	(26)
Inductive Paradoxes (Conflicts of Probability and Evidence)	219	(14)
Paradoxes of Hypothetical Reasoning (The Problem of Assumptions that Conflict with Accepted Beliefs)	233	(22)
Paradoxes of Choice and Decision (Conflicting Reasons for Action)	255	(26)
Bibliography	281	(8)
Index	289