Perplexing Paradoxes: Unraveling Enigmas in the World Around Us

Why does it always seem like the elevator is going down when you need to go up? Is it really true that 0.99999 . . . with an infinite number of 9s after the decimal point, is equal to 1? What do tea leaves and river erosion have in common, per Albert Einstein? Does seeing a bed of red flowers help prove that all ravens are black? Can we make sense of a phrase like “this statement is unprovable”? Exploring these questions and many more, George G. Szpiro guides readers through the puzzling world of paradoxes, from Socratic dialogues to the Monty Hall problem. Perplexing Paradoxes presents sixty counterintuitive conundrums drawn from diverse areas of thought—not only mathematics, statistics, logic, and philosophy but also social science, physics, politics, and religion. Szpiro offers a brisk history of each paradox, unpacks its inner workings, and considers where one might encounter it in daily life. Ultimately, he argues, paradoxes are not simple brain teasers or abstruse word games—they challenge us to hone our reasoning and become more alert to the flaws in received wisdom and common habits of thought. Lighthearted, witty, and conversational, Perplexing Paradoxes presents sophisticated material in an accessible way for all readers interested in the world’s boundless possibilities—and impossibilities.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Part I. Quotidian Riddles: Making Sense of the Silly and Surprising 1. My Friends Are More Popular Than I Am: The Friendship Paradox 2. Waiting for Godot: The Elevator Paradox 3. The Pursuit of Happiness: The Paradox of Hedonism 4. Tip Now or Tip Later? The Good Service Paradox 5. Don’t Work Out to Lose Weight: The Exercise Paradox Part II. Language Is Tricky: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What They Hear 6. Can’t Get No Satisfaction: Morgenbesser’s Double Negatives 7. Don’t Trust Friends: False Friends 8. Janus Words: The Antagonym Paradox 9. Pentasyllabic Has Five Syllables: The Grelling-Nelson Paradox 10. A Rose Is a Rose Is a Rose: The Langford-Moore Paradox Part III. Unbelievable but True: There’s More Than Happy Endings 11. Whodunit? He Done It! The Paradox of Suspense 12. To Wallow in Sorrow: The Paradox of Tragedy 13. Moved to Tears: The Paradox of Fiction 14. Hidden by Quotation Marks: The Quinification Paradox 15. All Remaining Errors Are My Own: The Preface Paradox Part IV. You Do the Math: Numbers Don’t Lie—Go Figure! 16. Chocolates from the Trays: The Axiom of Choice 17. Rounding Crooked Numbers: 0.999 . . . 18. On or Off? Thomson’s Lamp 19. Randomness Is Not Random: The Random Numbers Paradox 20. Zero or One? That Is the Question: Grandi’s Paradox Part V. Let’s Get Physical 21. Why Is It Dark at Night? Olbers’s Paradox 22. Gathering in the Middle: The Tea Leaves Paradox 23. Shaken, Not Stirred! The Brazil Nut Effect 24. Cold and Colder: The Mpemba Paradox 25. Suck or Spout? The Sprinkler Paradox Part VI. The Possibility of Probability . . . and Then There’s Statistics 26. A Cadillac or a Goat? The Monty Hall Paradox 27. To Treat or Not to Treat? Simpson’s Paradox 28. A Holistic Approach: The Two Envelopes Problem 29. Silver and Gold? Bertrand’s Probability Paradox 30. Are More Than Half the Babies Boys? Lindley’s Paradox Part VII. Footloose Philosophy: Give It Some Thought 31. To Shave or Not to Shave . . . Oneself: Russell’s Barber Paradox 32. I Don’t Believe It: Moore’s Paradox 33. Known Knowns, Known Unknowns: Fitch’s Paradox 34. No ATM in the Desert: Parfit’s Hitchhiker 35. Plus, or Quus? The Kripkenstein Paradox Part VIII. Loopy Logic: Making Sense of Seeming Nonsense 36. God Exists and the Moon Is Made of Cheese: Curry’s Paradox 37. To Know Nothing: Socrates’s Paradox 38. Is There a Point in Asking the Question? Meno’s Paradox 39. The Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth: Gödel’s Incompleteness Theorem 40. Are All Ravens Black? Hempel’s Paradox Part IX. Questions of Faith: The Small Print of Holy Texts 41. In the Name of the Lord, Your God: The Third Commandment 42. A Stone So Heavy . . . : The Omnipotence Paradox 43. Accumulate Wealth . . . but Don’t Spend It: The Paradox of Asceticism 44. Thou Mayest Steal: The Sermon on the Mount 45. All Is Perfect: The Smarandache Paradox Part X. Legal Liabilities: Terms and Conditions Apply 46. When Two Rights Make a Wrong: The Blackmail Paradox 47. Guilty Until Proven Innocent: The Prosecutor’s Fallacy 48. The Right to Remain Silent: The Fifth Amendment 49. When in Doubt, Acquit: The Unspecified Offense Paradox 50. Can Two Wrongs Make a Right? The Holistic Trial Paradox Part XI. The Economics of the Unexpected: It Stacks Up . . . but Does It Balance? 51. Sell a Lot and Make No Profits: Bertrand’s Economics Paradox 52. Doing More with Less: Jevons’s Paradox 53. Optimal Liberalism: Sen’s Paradox 54. Private Vices, Publick Benefits: Mandeville’s Paradox 55. Tightening One’s Belt: The Paradox of Thrift Part XII. Puzzling Politics: The Vexing Mathematics of Democracy 56. Who Should Win? Condorcet Cycles 57. More Seats or Fewer? The Alabama Paradox 58. To Abstain from Elections: The Nonvoting Paradox 59. Packing and Cracking: Gerrymandering 60. How Can One Be a Democrat? Wollheim’s Paradox Epilogue Postscript Bibliographic Notes Index