Contradiction

What’s the term for a statement that contradicts itself if it’s true?

Is that a paradox?

I’ve been thinking through this one:

Any singular truth is a lie, not because the statement is false, but because it stands alone. Like the facet of a diamond, it cannot encompass the whole thing.

I like this because it summarizes something I believe: that truth is always more complex than any pithy statement we can attach to it. Yet this statement, if true, means it must be a lie since it is singular.

There are outs to this. I could add an adverbial clause (Generally, any singular truth is a lie) or an adverb (Any singular truth is almost always a lie), which remove the absolute nature of the statement. Yet this diminishes the impact. The whole reason I think this is important is because “we all” (let’s just say mankind) have a tendency to believe that our truths are absolute and obvious, while everyone else’s are clearly suspect. The absolute nature of this statement encourages self reflection: if all singular statements are a lie, then we must assume our personal truth can only ever be partial.

But then, maybe not. I doubt any soul-searching deep shifts in belief have ever occurred because some arrogant ass (me) uttered a pithy contradiction on the internet.

Perhaps I should settle for irony:

Any singular truth is a lie, not because the statement is false, but because it stands alone. Like the facet of a diamond, it cannot encompass the whole thing. Except this one. This one isn’t a lie. It is, of course, the only absolute singular pure truth in all of reality.

Yeah, sure. Let’s go with that.