第1615期:Can the 'paradox mindset' help you?

The chicken or the egg – which came first? It’s probably one of the most commonly cited paradoxes – a chicken hatches from an egg, so the egg came first, right? But then what laid the egg? The two ideas seem contradictory, and that’s exactly what a paradox is – a problem that seemingly has no definitive solution and can’t be logically solved.

先有鸡还是先有蛋？这可能是最常被引用的悖论之一——鸡从鸡蛋中孵化出来，所以鸡蛋是第一位的，对吧？但后来是什么生了蛋？这两个想法似乎是矛盾的，而这正是悖论的本质——一个看似没有明确解决方案且无法从逻辑上解决的问题。

And paradoxes don’t just exist in philosophical debates but also in our daily lives. How can work be flexible but maintain structure? How can we switch off if we’re working from home? Two contrasting ideas could cause people stress, but what if we accept the contradiction and change the way we look at it? This is what some experts call the ‘paradox mindset’.

悖论不仅存在于哲学辩论中，也存在于我们的日常生活中。工作如何灵活但保持结构？如果我们在家工作，我们怎么能关掉？两种截然不同的想法可能会给人们带来压力，但如果我们接受矛盾并改变看待它的方式呢？这就是一些专家所说的“悖论心态”。

A paradox consists of two realities that exist at the same time – even though that seems impossible. If you embrace just one of those realities and ignore the other, it can cause problems. For example, embracing change may lead to burn-out, while embracing stability may lead to boredom. Some experts have found the acceptance of both realities and a willingness to embrace them can improve both creativity and productivity by allowing you to navigate a path through the contradictions.

悖论由同时存在的两个现实组成——尽管这似乎是不可能的。如果你只接受其中一个现实而忽略另一个，它可能会导致问题。例如，拥抱变化可能会导致倦怠，而拥抱稳定可能会导致无聊。一些专家发现，接受这两种现实并愿意接受它们，可以让你在矛盾中找到一条道路，从而提高创造力和生产力。

A 1996 study of geniuses by Albert Rothenberg found that those thinkers spent time considering opposites and antitheses. Consider Einstein. The theory of relativity was born out of the paradox that something could be moving and stationary at the same time, depending on perspective.

Albert Rothenberg 1996 年对天才的一项研究发现，这些思想家花时间考虑对立面和对立面。考虑爱因斯坦。相对论诞生于这样一个悖论，即某物可以同时运动和静止，这取决于视角。

So, having a ‘paradox mindset’ and accepting the bigger picture may help you to better understand problems. It could also make you happier knowing that contradictions exist. As a result, it may lead you to improving your productivity and creativity. If it worked for Einstein, maybe it could be good for you too!

因此，拥有“悖论思维”并接受更大的图景可能会帮助您更好地理解问题。知道矛盾的存在也可以让你更快乐。因此，它可能会引导您提高生产力和创造力。如果它对爱因斯坦有用，也许它对你也有好处！

词汇表

idea 想法
contradictory 自相矛盾的，对立的
paradox 悖论，矛盾的情况
solution 解决办法
logically 合乎逻辑地
philosophical 哲学的
flexible 灵活变通的
structure 结构，条理
switch off 不再考虑（工作）
contrasting 截然不同的
contradiction 矛盾
mindset 思维方式，思维模式
embrace 欣然接受
burn-out 极度劳累
creativity 创造力
productivity 生产力
navigate 设法应付
antithesis 对立，对立面，复数为 “antitheses”
theory 学说，理论
perspective 思考角度，观点