paradox (redirected from Weber's paradox)

paradox, statement that appears self-contradictory but actually has a basis in truth, e.g., Oscar Wilde's "Ignorance is like a delicate fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone." Many New Critics maintained that paradox is not just a rhetorical or illustrative device but a basic aspect of all poetic language.

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paradox

Apparently self-contradictory statement whose underlying meaning is revealed only by careful scrutiny. Its purpose is to arrest attention and provoke fresh thought, as in the statement “Less is more.” In poetry, paradox functions as a device encompassing the tensions of error and truth simultaneously, not necessarily by startling juxtapositions but by subtle and continuous qualifications of the ordinary meanings of words. When a paradox is compressed into two words, as in “living death,” it is called an oxymoron.

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Paradox

A relational database management (DBMS) and application development system for Windows from Corel. It includes the PAL programming language for writing complex business applications. When Paradox was originally released under DOS, it was noted for its visual query by example method, which made asking questions much easier than comparable products of the time. Originally developed by Ansa Corporation, it was later acquired by Borland and then Corel. The product was named Corel Paradox for a while, then offered as part of Corel's WordPerfect Office suites.

An Early Paradox Query

In the mid-1980s, Paradox was the first DBMS on a PC that made linking tables easier. The ability to associate relationships by typing sample words was a breakthrough for that time. The Customer No. and Part No. fields are linked by pressing a function key and typing in the common words "ABC" and "XYZ. Any words suffice as long as they are the same.

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paradox

a self-contradictory proposition, such as I always tell lies

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Paradox

Catch-22

claim of insanity to be relieved of military duty proves sanity. [Am. Lit.: Joseph Heller Catch-22]

Zeno’s paradoxes

four philosophical arguments purporting to show the impossibility of motion. [Gk. Phil.: NCE, 3043]

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1.	(database)	Paradox - A relational database for Microsoft Windows, originally from Borland. Paradox 5 ran on Microsoft Windows nd provided a graphical environment, a debugger, a data modelling tool, and many "ObjectPAL" commands. Paradox 7 ran under Windows 95 and Windows NT. Latest version: Paradox 9, as of 2000-02-10 (a Corel product). http://corel.com/paradox9/index.htm.
2.	(logic)	paradox - An apparently sound argument leading to a contradiction. Some famous examples are Russell's paradox and the liar paradox. Most paradoxes stem from some kind of self-reference. Smarandache Linguistic Paradox.