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Definition of Paradox
A paradox is a figure of speech that seems to contradict itself, but which, upon further examination, contains some kernel of truth or reason. Oscar Wilde's famous declaration that "Life is... read full definition
A paradox is a figure of speech that seems to contradict itself, but which, upon further examination, contains some kernel of truth or reason. Oscar... read full definition
A paradox is a figure of speech that seems to contradict itself, but which, upon further examination, contains some kernel... read full definition
Key Examples in The Republic
Book 1
Explanation and Analysis—I Know Nothing?:
In Book 1, Socrates responds to Thrasymachus's claim that Socrates is not defining justice himself but rather poking holes in other definitions. He does so by highlighting a paradox in Thrasymachus's reasoning:
Why, my good friend, I said, how can any one answer who knows and says that he knows, just nothing; and who, even if he has some faint notions of his own, is told by a man of authority not to utter them?
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