Philosophical
Paradox of Inquiry (Meno's Paradox)
How can you search for what you don't know?
Overview
Plato's paradox about the possibility of learning and inquiry.
Either you know what you're seeking, or you don't. If you know, no need to search. If you don't know, you can't recognize it when found (how would you know it's what you sought?). Either way, inquiry seems impossible. Yet we clearly do learn new things.