Uploaded April 2018 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Most people think of paradoxes as unanswerable, contradictory questions deliberately designed to confuse you for no good reason. But they’re actually a lot more complex than that; some paradoxes can be answered even if they seem impossible, and others are obviously wrong... but it may take thousands of years of human experience and the invention of calculus to prove why.
Join Kevin, some action figures, three envelopes and a whole lot of whiteboard doodles as you discover the three types of paradoxes: Veridical, Falsidical and Antinomy, and why each one plays a unique role in how we process the world around us -- including finally learning how there’s a mathematical explanation for why you should always switch doors in Monty Hall’s classic game show.
*** SOURCES LINKS AND MORE ***
“The Ways of Paradox and Other Essays” by Willard Van Orman Quine: amazon.com/Ways-Paradox-Other-Essays-Revised/dp/0674948378
Zeno of Elea, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/zeno-elea/
Zeno’s Paradoxes, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/paradox-zeno/
Convergent Series, Khan Academy: khanacademy.org/math/calculus-home/series-calc/seq-conv-diverg-calc/v/convergent-and-divergent-sequences
“Game Show Problem” by Marilyn vos Savant, Parade Magazine, 1990: marilynvossavant.com/game-show-problem
“Solution to the Grandfather Paradox” by minutephysics: youtu.be/XayNKY944lY
“The Faint Young Sun Paradox!” by MinuteEarth: youtu.be/qbnaes8X4iQ
***********************************
Vsauce Links
Website: Vsauce.com
Twitter: twitter.com/VsauceTwo
Facebook: facebook.com/VsauceTwo
Hosted, Produced, Writing Contributions And Edited by Kevin Lieber
Instagram: instagram.com/kevlieber
Twitter: twitter.com/kevinlieber
Website: kevinlieber.com
Research And Writing Contributions by Matthew Tabor
twitter.com/matthewktabor
Writing Contributions by Michael Stevens
youtube.com/Vsauce
VFX By Eric Langlay
youtube.com/c/ericlanglay
Special Thanks Paula Lieber
etsy.com/shop/Craftality
Select Music By Jake Chudnow: youtube.com/user/JakeChudnow
Most people think of paradoxes as unanswerable, contradictory questions deliberately designed to confuse you for no good reason. But they’re actually a lot more complex than that; some paradoxes can be answered even if they seem impossible, and others are obviously wrong... but it may take thousands of years of human experience and the invention of calculus to prove why.
Join Kevin, some action figures, three envelopes and a whole lot of whiteboard doodles as you discover the three types of paradoxes: Veridical, Falsidical and Antinomy, and why each one plays a unique role in how we process the world around us -- including finally learning how there’s a mathematical explanation for why you should always switch doors in Monty Hall’s classic game show.
*** SOURCES LINKS AND MORE ***
“The Ways of Paradox and Other Essays” by Willard Van Orman Quine: amazon.com/Ways-Paradox-Other-Essays-Revised/dp/0674948378
Zeno of Elea, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/zeno-elea/
Zeno’s Paradoxes, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/paradox-zeno/
Convergent Series, Khan Academy: khanacademy.org/math/calculus-home/series-calc/seq-conv-diverg-calc/v/convergent-and-divergent-sequences
“Game Show Problem” by Marilyn vos Savant, Parade Magazine, 1990: marilynvossavant.com/game-show-problem
“Solution to the Grandfather Paradox” by minutephysics: youtu.be/XayNKY944lY
“The Faint Young Sun Paradox!” by MinuteEarth: youtu.be/qbnaes8X4iQ
***********************************
Vsauce Links
Website: Vsauce.com
Twitter: twitter.com/VsauceTwo
Facebook: facebook.com/VsauceTwo
Hosted, Produced, Writing Contributions And Edited by Kevin Lieber
Instagram: instagram.com/kevlieber
Twitter: twitter.com/kevinlieber
Website: kevinlieber.com
Research And Writing Contributions by Matthew Tabor
twitter.com/matthewktabor
Writing Contributions by Michael Stevens
youtube.com/Vsauce
VFX By Eric Langlay
youtube.com/c/ericlanglay
Special Thanks Paula Lieber
etsy.com/shop/Craftality
Select Music By Jake Chudnow: youtube.com/user/JakeChudnow
