Paradox
What Paradox means in Philosophy A-Level, as defined for AQA.
Definitions of Paradox
Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.
Check what you remember
Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain Paradox in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.
Reference: AQA
A statement or set of statements that, from apparently acceptable premises and apparently valid reasoning, yields a conclusion that seems absurd or self-contradictory.
An apparently self-contradictory result, from which a dilemma is distinguished.
Topics that use Paradox
- Subject content: Philosophical terminology (AQA A-Level)
Related terms
- A priori knowledge
- A priori/a posteriori distinction
- Analytic/synthetic distinction
- Certainty versus necessity
- Claim type versus truth value
- Consistency
- Containment of predicate in subject
- Contradiction as a test for analyticity
Using Paradox in the exam
Check the command word and mark scheme for your exact question. After comparing your explanation with the reference, use the term in an answer on the linked topic. This practice does not predict an exam mark.
Practise Philosophy questions
Create a free account to answer exam-style questions on this topic and get feedback on your answers.
A week of Premium from your first lesson · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge