History of Philosophy without any gaps. History of Philosophy without any gaps. The Meno Paradox and the Difference Between Paradoxes and Arguments. S.
C. e-mails: I stumbled onto a question in my studies today that I am not sure how to resolve and you seem like just the person to ask. The question is this: what, exactly, makes a paradox different from a regular old argument? Menosparadox. Epistemic Paradoxes. First published Wed Jun 21, 2006; substantive revision Fri Dec 30, 2011 Epistemic paradoxes are riddles that turn on the concept of knowledge (episteme is Greek for knowledge).
Typically, there are conflicting, well-credentialed answers to these questions (or pseudo-questions). Thus the riddle immediately informs us of an inconsistency. In the long run, the riddle goads and guides us into correcting at least one deep error – if not directly about knowledge, then about its kindred concepts such as justification, rational belief, and evidence. Meno’s Paradox.