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Interesting Paradoxes

Taken from Wikipedia's List of Paradoxes, check out a fascinating list of exceptions to the rule.

Taken from Wikipedia's List of Paradoxes

  • Bonini's paradox: Models or simulations that explain the workings of complex systems are seemingly impossible to construct. As a model of a complex system becomes more complete, it becomes less understandable; for it to be more understandable it must be less complete and therefore less accurate. When the model becomes accurate, it is just as difficult to understand as the real-world processes it represents.
  • Omnipotence paradox: Can an omnipotent being create a rock too heavy for itself to lift?
  • Arrow information paradox: To sell information you need to give it away before the sale.
  • Paradox of thrift: If everyone saves more money during times of recession, then aggregate demand will fall and will in turn lower total savings in the population.
  • Paradox of value, also known as diamond-water paradox: Water is more useful than diamonds, yet is a lot cheaper.
  • European paradox: The perceived failure of European countries to translate scientific advances into marketable innovations.
  • Paradox of plenty: Countries with an abundance of natural resources tend to have less economic growth and worse development outcomes than countries with fewer natural resources.
  • Region-beta paradox: People can sometimes recover more quickly from more intense emotions or pain than from less distressing experiences.
  • Self-absorption paradox: The contradictory association whereby higher levels of self-awareness are simultaneously associated with higher levels of psychological distress and with psychological well-being.
  • Friendship paradox: For almost everyone, their friends have more friends than they do.
  • Catch-22: A situation in which someone is in need of something that can only be had by not being in need of it. A soldier who wants to be declared insane to avoid combat is deemed not insane for that very reason and will therefore not be declared insane.