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The nature of paradox |
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Imagine a postcard on which one side is
written the statement "What is stated on the other side is true" and on the
other side is the statement "This statement is false". When combined, both
statements create a circular argument- if false, then true, and/or if true,
then false. |
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The word "paradox" is most often used to
describe such examples and statements such as "before the universe existed, UCA
both did and didn't exist". The word itself is derived from the Greek words
para (para) meaning 'alongside of, by, past, beyond' and doxa (opinion) .
Originally paradox simply meant "a statement contrary to received opinion or
belief; sometimes with favorable, sometimes with unfavorable connotation.
However, around 1569, the word was given the meaning "a statement that is
seemingly self contradictory or absurd, thought possibly well funded or
essentially true." |
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In science, paradoxes are considered the
most loathsome of arguments as the heart of science is the quest for provable
knowledge- a or b, true or false. |
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Paradoxes of self-reference have the same
form. They both assert and deny themselves. They have the logical form of a
contradiction. A AND not-A, and they vex mathematicians and Western
philosophers. |
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Paradoxes of self reference have the same
form: |
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A implies not-A, and not A implies A. |
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So A and not-A are logically equivalent: A
= not-A. |
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The Yin Yang equation. So they have the
same truth values: t(A) = t(not-A). |
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Here we face a bivalent contradiction of
either 0 = 1 or 1 = 0. |
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| 2.15.1
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The use of the proof theory reducio ad
absurdum |
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As mentioned earlier, paradoxes are hated
with a passion within western schools of knowledge, all of which are built upon
the logic framework of argument. Therefore, for a new theory to be accepted
within the current structure of any accepted western science, it must by
definition be devoid of any paradoxes. |
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The most popular method of defining paradoxes out of
existence is the proof strategy reductio ad absurdum, whereby an assumption is
made and then shown to lead to contradictions or "absurdities". Once this is
achieved, the principle assumption made can be denied as defective. |
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However, the theory of reductio ad absurdum only works
if the combatants choose to meet on the field of logic, but one system of
thinking. On the multivalent field of argument, reductio ad absurdum does not
work. |
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For bivalent logicians, this presents no problem as
multivalent by definition is argued as "unreasonable" and "irrational" (see the
previous section for an explanation of this argument). As a result, few
scholars accept to do battle on the field of multi valence. |
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| 2.15.2 |
The great 20th century plan to eliminate paradoxes |
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Apart from the success of the reductio ad absurdum
method of eliminating opposing ideas to your own, the early part of the 20th
Century saw one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken- the goal to
eliminate all paradoxes from formal mathematics- creating the perfect book of
truth. |
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One of the main players in this quest was Bertrand
Russell who in the 1920's set out to methodically write out all the axioms of
mathematics to continue the work of the Boolean algebra language of expressing
"logical arguments. |
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The word not only seemed hopeful, but a certainty. For
the world of science at this point arrogantly believed that mathematics had
developed to such a point that all that was required to do was simply create a
clear system and add up all the axioms. |
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However, after progressing relatively quickly,
Russell's project came to an abrupt brick wall- the concept of the set of all
sets. |
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Simply, the problem rested on the argument "if the
definition of a set of things is that it does not belong to itself, but a
higher set of things- what does the set of all sets belong?" If the answer is
itself, then the set of all sets is not a set as well as a set- a self
referencing paradox. If the answer is no sets, then it is not a set and no sets
can exist by logic. |
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| 2.15.3 |
Godel and the destruction of the grand plan |
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There are many propositions in mathematics to which no
exceptions have been found and yet, no proofs have been obtained to demonstrate
whether they are true or not. As an instance, all perfect numbers known today
are even numbers, we have no reason to believe that odd perfect numbers exist,
but no proof has been found to demonstrate their nonexistence. |
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Before 1931 it was believed that the axioms of
arithmetic were consistent and adequate to prove or disprove any mathematical
conjecture. However, in 1931, Kurt Godel, Czech- American mathematician and
logician, published his famous incompleteness, or undecidability theorem
stating that any consistent formal system adequate to describe arithmetic must
contain statements which can neither be proven nor disproved within this system
( in other words paradoxes). At the same time, Alfred Tarski, Polish-American
mathematician and logician, studied the notion of truth in formal systems. |
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Godels argument is simple. Let us say we wish to show
a proof that 1 + 1 = 2. Our common sense tells us the answer and proof is self
evident. However, in a formal process we must start with defining the
variables. Therefore we begin: |
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Let 1 = the unit of 1 |
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This appears fine doesn't it? What then supports the
argument 1 = 1? For if there is no defined truth that supports the argument 1 =
1, then this definition is merely an assumption, not a truth. |
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Taken to extreme, we would require an infinite array
of definitions 1 = 1, 1 = 1 ... 8 to support 1 = 1 as fact. Since no definition
can be proven as being true and all formulas rely on their definitions then no
formula in any scientific definition can be considered 100% true ( in spite of
often vigorous arguments to the contrary.) |
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While Godel and Tarski discovered that every
mathematical formula can be deconstructed to a state of incompleteness, one and
only one statement stood out as being both complete and 100% true. The problem
was that the same statement also appeared 100% false. 1 = 0. The purest
mathematical language to describe the paradox. |
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| 2.15.4 |
The implication of Godel's discovery |
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That paradoxes exist in mathematics at their heart
might not appear all that earth shattering, until you consider the implication
that all mathematical axioms must begin from a paradox. |
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Not surprisingly, few people outside mathematics
circles have heard of Godel's incompleteness theorem and the implication that
ALL mathematical theories at best are based on assumptions as no theory can be
100% proven. For the most part, mathematicians and scientists continue to
advance their respect fields, largely ignoring the theorem. |
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By Godel's discovery and the work of Bertrand Russell,
all systems of classification of absolute systems- must by definition begin
with the primary paradox. We call this primary paradox- UCA- Unique Collective
Awareness. In other words, Godel and Tarski proved in 1931 that UCA exists at
the heart of mathematics. |
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