Paradox

A paradox is a judgement that at first glance contradicts common sense or established opinion, but on deeper consideration reveals an unexpected, often bitter or witty truth: "Make haste slowly," "I know that I know nothing." A paradox rests on the collision of opposites within a single utterance, thereby striking, compelling reflection and the revision of habitual notions. As a stylistic and intellectual device, the paradox is widely used in aphoristics, philosophical prose, drama and intellectual literature; a brilliant master of the paradox was Oscar Wilde. The paradox is closely linked to the oxymoron (the linguistic expression of a contradiction) and to irony. It is a powerful means of sharpening thought, exposing banality and stimulating the reader's critical, unconventional perception of the world.