What are Paradoxes?

Cowie, Christopher

Abstract

According to a standard view, paradoxes are arguments with plausible premises that entail an implausible conclusion. This is false. In many paradoxes the premises are not plausible precisely because they entail an implausible conclusion. Obvious responses to this problem—including that the premises are individually plausible and that they are plausible setting aside the fact that they entail an implausible conclusion—are shown to be inadequate. A very different view of paradox is then introduced. This is a functionalist view according to which paradoxes are the kinds of things that puzzle people in characteristic ways. It is claimed that this view, too, fails and for the very same reason. The result is a new puzzle about the nature of paradoxes

Citation

Cowie, C. (2023). What are Paradoxes?. Journal of the American Philosophical Association, 9(1), 154-171. https://doi.org/10.1017/apa.2021.48

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 30, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Apr 11, 2022
• Publication Date: 2023-03
• Deposit Date: May 13, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: May 18, 2023
• Journal: Journal of the American Philosophical Association
• Print ISSN: 2053-4477
• Electronic ISSN: 2053-4485
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 9
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 154-171
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/apa.2021.48
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1208267