Paradox
 
The importance of paradox
    based on work by Dr. John H. Gardner, B.Y.U. Physics Dept.
 
While reading my father's papers on the theory of learning (he was, of course, trying to apply his laws of symmetry to learning theory), I came across an interesting quote on paradox. This is the foundation of my attitudes on the subject:
 
Dad identifies 4 types of learning (I think he got these from a Walter Gong, who spent some time at BYU in the late 70s and early 80s trying to apply some of his great ideas on the theory of learning). They are:
 
Deduction - drawing a specific truth from a general
  1. •Induction - drawing general truth from specific truths
  2. •The Parable - illustrates important concepts but with the central message deeply hidden (and requires search and discovery by the individual)
  3. •The Paradox - challenges the assumptions on which a student's world view is founded
 
Let me quote Dad's paragraph on The Paradox:
  1. "Closely related to the parable is the paradox. A paradox challenges the assumptions on which a student's world view is founded and can lead into a fruitful revision. All significant learning is paradoxical. If not, then the new thing is already contained in the old. In this case it may be paradoxical in the sense that one is surprised to discover that he already in some sense knows it. Joseph Smith has said that by proving contraries we can get closer to the truth than in any other way."
[I'm not familiar with this statement of Joseph Smith’s and Dad gives no reference.]
 
It's the struggle to resolve these "paradoxes" (or inconsistencies in how we approach various aspects of our lives) that true breakthroughs in our knowledge are obtained. These are the "aha!" experiences that we often have as we grow.