Paradoxes are very important and central to life. They are an area where I believe I can contribute to people's lives. Like a lot of people, I am always looking to learn new things. The question that is floating around in my mind is always, “What can I learn from this?” I am asking this question even if I'm watching The Real Housewives. And though I have looked far and wide, I haven't found much discussion on paradoxes. I think this is a real and unfortunate void. Perhaps the void exists because paradoxes can be rather complicated. But I don't think they necessarily have to be difficult. My goal is to break it down for you. So let me explain what a paradox is.
One
definition, taken from Merriam-Webster, is that a paradox is, “A
statement that is seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense
and yet is perhaps true.” I will make a distinct between two types
of paradoxes, those that don't seem solvable and those that do. For
obvious reasons, I will only spend time on paradoxes that we may hope
to solve. As I mentioned, they are an extremely important part of
life. I won't waste my time with problems beyond our realistic reach.
Let me give you an example of an unsolvable paradox.
There
something called the Liar's Paradox which goes like this, “This
sentence is false.” So, if the sentence is true, then the sentence
is false, which is a contradiction. Conversely, if the sentence is
false, then the sentence is true, which is also a contradiction. Wow!
Listen, it is this sorts of conundrums that I think might creating
black holes in the universe. There is no sense to be made out of the
Liar's Paradox. So it's pretty much a waste of time. It's reserved
for philosophers, in musty smelling old buildings, on university
campuses. I want you to join me in the world of the paradox. But, in
order to do so, when need something we can actually work with. So,
let's switch over to more promising territory.
If
you're willing to go with me, I assure you'll find that paradoxes can
be very entertaining and even humorous. That may seem to be quite the
claim but let me back it up. You may have heard the old line, by
Groucho Marx, that said, “I wouldn't want to be a member of any
club that would have me as a member.” It's deliciously self-depreciating and fun. It's a paradox. And it has a solution. Obviously, Mr. Marx
was destined to live a solitary existence. :)
A
paradox, I am certain you are familiar with, goes like this, “Never say
never.” You've certainly heard that one, right? And so, what does it
mean? It speaks to the value of having an open mind, doesn't it? That
is to say, the importance of being to willing to try stuff. It's a
great life lesson! But, strictly speaking, it's a contradiction in
terms. Right now I could list off dozens of paradoxes. So this a
topic I will revisit often.
Now time
for a little of the nerdy stuff. A few years ago Jeffrey Schwartz and
Sharon Begley wrote a wonderful book titled The Mind and The Brain.
The subtitle is Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force. That's
quite a bit out of the everyday norm but fear not, it's not as scary
as it may sound. What scientists have found is that the human brain
remain plastic (their term for malleable) throughout life. It used to
be believed that the brain was only formed while we are young. What
is now known is that the brain is capable of rewiring itself up until
our very last breath. This is a truly inspiring idea and the basis
for much optimism. What it's basically saying is that it's never too late. That is amazing!
What
Schwartz believed was holding back brain science was physics. He
contends that neurology was bound by a Newtonian view of the world. A
world lacking interdependence. Schwartz believes what is necessary is
some knowledge of the quantum mechanical world. I won't get into a
discussion about quantum mechanics. It is, indeed, very heavy
lifting. I will, however, tell you one thing. What we now know,
thanks to quantum physics, is that the observer of an event changes
the observed event. It's pretty wild but it's true. This all stems
from a classic experiment called the Double Slit Experiment. Without
getting into it, I will tell you, the double slit experiment
discovered that matter behaves like both waves, and particles,
depending on whose watching. (Humans do a similar thing.) This might
not seem very impressive to you so let me explain.
Imagine
a wave at the beach. Can you see it? Now imagine a dolphin riding
that wave. In my example, the dolphin is the particle. What quantum
mechanics has shown is that the dolphin is sometimes a dolphin and
sometimes it's the wave! It all depends on how it is being observed.
This is called the Wave-Particle Duality of nature. And I hope I
didn't just create a black hole in your brain.
All of
this occurs at extremely small sizes. It's not something you will
encounter in day-to-day life. But it is the very basis of the
building blocks of the universe. Light, electrons, and atoms all
behave like waves and they also behave like particles. This is a
complete contradiction, but it's true. It's a paradox! I believe that
life is fundamentally paradoxical. And, for that reason, I think it's
something worth exploring.
I will
leave you with one last joyous paradox. It's one that I just love.
Maybe you've heard somebody say it before. Whenever someone is trying
to pin you down, to an idea or a commitment, and you do not wish to
be so pinned, you can tell them, with all sincerity, that you're
going to have to give them a, “definite maybe.” :)
