Word: paradoxical
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1999
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...drive to equal this uber-alum's conquest of the troika has become one of the defining characteristics of undergraduate--especially senior--life at Harvard. Curiously though, this drive is often self-defeating. For the more success we attain, the less-satisfied we feel. Call it the prestige paradox...
...prestige paradox works like this: An enterprising, promising high school senior manages to secure admission to Harvard. Soon, this lucky kid is greeted with admiration and awe by those who hear of this impressive honor. The glow continues to follow our golden child throughout her college life. Every time she meets someone on an airplane, runs into an old friend from high school or talks to Aunt Clara, she is reminded of her special distinction. She can't help but begin to define herself...
...only way to maintain this fragile, prestige-based self-image, then, is to acquire more prestige. Hence, the paradox: The constant hunger always leaves one, well, hungry...
...computers push their way further into every nook and cranny of America's complex economy, these experiences underline a paradox that has long puzzled almost everybody who comes into contact with thinking machines. Computers help all sorts of people do their jobs faster and more efficiently. Many enthusiasts expect the machines to transform the American economy and society as completely as the internal-combustion engine and electric power did, beginning roughly a century ago. But why is there so little hard numerical evidence that this is happening? In particular, if computers are sparking a new industrial revolution, why have...
There is much debate and no single explanation for the paradox. To begin with, economists generally agree that official figures understate productivity, though they quarrel sharply about how much and why. It is clear too that many buyers fail to get the most out of their computers--some because they try to make the computers perform functions to which they are not really adaptable; others because they buy computers more powerful and more expensive than they truly need; others still because they fail to appreciate how hard it will be to train their employees to use the machines effectively...