Paradox

S E V E NEubulides and thePolitics of the LiarThe Greek paradoxes have reached us through a network ofliterature and oral tradition. Judging by how much nearly didnot reach us and by the poor condition in which this materialarrived, much must have been lost and much must molder inan unrecognized form on our library shelves. This chapter isabout how paradoxes and our attitudes toward them havebeen shaped by their mode of transmission.Paradoxes have not been handed down through thegenerations solely by virtue of their intrinsic interest. Oftenthey hitch a ride on some weightier matter. For instance, theliar paradox owes some of its currency to the fact that Paulunwittingly packed it into the Bible.And what appear to be mere accretions are sometimes thewhole substance of the paradox. Many paradoxes of politicalphilosophy and religion originated as incoherent compromisesbetween vying factions.