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Confusables Entry 1189 / 1350 60-second read

Fallacy vs. Paradox

A flawed argument versus a seemingly contradictory but revealing truth.

The comparisoni

✗ Wrong

Zeno's argument is a fallacy — a broken argument.

✓ Correct

Zeno's argument is a paradox — seemingly sound but contradictory. Fallacies are just wrong.

The ruleii

FALLACY = error. PARADOX = puzzle.

A FALLACY is a specific error in reasoning — ad hominem, strawman, etc. A PARADOX is a statement that appears contradictory but reveals a deeper truth — Russell's paradox, the liar paradox. Fallacies lose arguments; paradoxes advance thought.

Memory aidiii

Remember it like this

Fallacies break. Paradoxes reveal.

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