Contradictions
What you think is a contradiction is not. Never was, never will be.
Lies, faulty information, miscalculations, faulty definitions, poor assumptions or incorrect inputs can lead to what we think are contradictions. The logic in the argument is bad or maybe there is something wrong with how we formulated the logical argument if it points to a contradiction.
I will first show what happens when something gets close to a contradiction in reality. Then I will show you how seemingly contradictory information hide truths.
Nuclear fusion, the hydrogen bomb, the sun, come quite close to a physical contradiction. Two entities trying, vying, to be in the same space simultaneously. The reaction when something close to a contradiction occurs is quite intense. Were they to occupy the same space simultaneously the result would defy belief. The result would radiate across the universe in a way that has never been seen. A less modest supernova.
What happens when a contradiction of sorts arises inside a computer? If one component raises the bus to 5 volts whilst another component forces it to zero, the bus melts. Or the computer trips. Or the power supply fails. It doesn’t actually contradict, the resistance in the wiring prevents that. The bus cannot be one and zero simultaneously. It is only a contradiction of sorts as the bus wiring becomes a heater until something fails. At no point does the bus hold five volts and zero volts simultaneously. It will be five at one end, zero at the other and something in between in the middle.
There is always an explanation for why something seems contradictory when it is not.
Yesterday he said it was ten, now he is saying it is fifteen. That is what we might think of as a contradiction. Someone claims that something or other is good for you and in the next breath, it is bad for you. Note that a contradiction of this type relies upon new information going against prior information. Not two bits of information arriving simultaneously. There is a reason for why they claimed one thing today and something opposite yesterday.
The concept of a contradiction will always exist however once you analyse the situation you will see that an error was made somewhere. The conclusion points to a contradiction but better understanding of what led to that conclusion will prove that no contradiction exists after all.
Mathematical ‘contradictions’
One could construct a mathematical thesis that points to a contradiction because both 2 and -2 can be fed into a specific formula. Calculus may produce two outputs. However, no such contradiction exists. One cannot have minus two of anything. I can have two chickens but not minus two. The error is assuming, proposing, contending that one can have minus two chickens.
You could legitimately argue that the square root of four is minus two. This part of the logic aids the belief that a contradiction has arisen. If you used plus two instead, no contradiction is seen. This is an example to help you understand the principle.
On one side of the fence, we have someone claiming a contradiction. On the other side of the fence someone points out the lie, the error, the incorrect assumption, the problem with the proposition. Delve deep into the logic and you will discover where someone made the mistake or tried to mislead you. Sometimes a number is rounded up or rounded down a little and that accounts for the supposed contradiction.
If you want to test your skills and test to see if you can spot an assumption error, see this riddle Logic riddle.
25th July 2026 © IgnoranceParadox
