Question

What is the difference between a contradiction, a paradox and irony? Can someone help me understand the difference between each of these?

Answer 1

Hint: A contradiction is a condition or collection of ideas that are in conflict with one another. A paradox is known as a figure of speech that seems to contradict itself. The use of words to convey a message that is diametrically opposed to what is actually said is known as irony.

Complete answer:
Contradiction, irony, and paradox are words that are sometimes used interchangeably, but each has a distinct meaning.
a) Irony is similar to sarcasm in that it requires the opposite of what is intended. It's ironic, for example, that the "unsinkable" Titanic will sink on its first (maiden) voyage.
b) A contradiction occurs when both A (some truth claim) and NOT A (some false claim) are asserted. Both arguments are incorrect, resulting in a paradox. In other words, a paradox occurs when two statements cannot both be valid at the same time.
c) A paradox is a condition (real or imagined) in which an inconsistency appears to be valid. That is, a condition in which both A and B tend to occur. A paradox is whether an omnipotent God may build a rock that is too large for Him to raise. Alternatively, “This statement is a fabrication”.

Example:
a) you've decided to relocate to Los Angeles in order to pursue a career as an actor. You can't get a SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild/American Federation of Television and Radio Actors) union card unless you've been cast in a show, and you can't get a SAG-AFTRA union card unless you've been cast in a film. This is a contradiction.
b) Isn't it true that you need a SAG-AFTRA card to be cast? Its aim is to protect union members' livelihoods by giving them first shot at any new work. This realization is a paradox
c) True ingenues—young actors and actresses who are precisely the character types most unproductive scripts are written for—are kept out of consideration by the exclusionary union laws, and the positions must go to unconvincingly older thespians. This is irony at its finest.

Note:
- Remember that although these words are sometimes used interchangeably, they are different from each other.
- Contradiction: Within the same scheme, there are elements that contradict each other. A paradox is a collection of contradictory elements that expose a previously unknown truth; Irony is a resolution that is the polar opposite of what one would expect.