Ancient Greek philosophers used paradoxes for all sorts of reasons, from sharpening their dialectical skills and showing philosophical opponents were talking nonsense to serious philosophical inquiry ...

We are always solving problems, some of which have instantly obvious solutions and others that do not. In the latter case, the word puzzle comes to mind instead. A problem can be defined therefore as ...

Although the concept of the common good has been subject to normative theorising for millennia, it is now widely understood as an "essentially contested concept," leading scholars to argue that, in ...

Editor’s Note: Published in 1957, this article comes from Martin Gardner’s legendary Scientific American column Mathematical Games. Read more in our special digital issue, Fun and Games. A paradox is ...

Many scientists hold the belief that the paradoxes associated with time travel, which have perplexed thinkers for centuries, can indeed be resolved. This notion arises from various scientific theories ...

Robert Pepperell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond ...