- DICHOTOMY: It is impossible to cover any distance, because half the distance must be traversed first, then half the remaining distance, then again half of what remains, and so on. Some portion of the distance to be covered is ALWAYS left to cover. Therefore, motion is impossible.
- ACHILLES AND THE TORTOISE: Achilles runs to overtake the tortoise, but he must reach the point where the tortoise started, from which it has already departed. Repeating indefinitely, Achilles gets to each new point in the race, the tortoise having been there, has already left. Therefore, even though Achilles is much faster than the tortoise, he can NEVER even tie.
- THE ARROW: An arrow shot from a bow must be moving at every instant in its flight. But at every instant it must be somewhere in space. However, if it is always in some one place, it can’t be in transit at every instant, for to be in transit is to be NOWHERE.
* According to WEBSTER’S NEW COLLEGIATE DICTIONARY, “a paradox is a statement that is seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense and yet is perhaps true.”
Last Updated February 7, 2022