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# Thinking through paradoxes: Less is more
- URL: https://www.james-corcoran.com/thinking-through-paradoxes/
- Published: 2025-02-05T00:27:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-01-25T21:59:46.000Z
- Author: James Corcoran
- Tags: Blog

If your LinkedIn feed is anything like mine, you’ll have read a lot about Jevons Paradox over the last few days.

This paradox suggests that increasing the efficiency of resource use can sometimes lead to an *increase* in overall consumption. In the context of AI, this means that even if individual models become more efficient, the resulting lower cost and increased accessibility could lead to a surge in demand for computation.  
  
Paradoxes are a great tool of thought as they force us to think about the counterintuitive. They expose flawed assumptions and improve problem-solving and reasoning skills.  
  
Here are a few of my favourites, kicking off with the one everyone’s talking about this week.  
  
Jevons Paradox – Greater efficiency in resource use often increases total consumption rather than reducing it.  
  
The Paradox of Plenty – Countries rich in natural resources often struggle with slower economic growth and weaker institutions.  
  
The Paradox of the Commons - When individuals act in their own self-interest, they deplete a shared resource, harming everyone.  
  
The Paradox of Thrift – If everyone saves more during a recession, overall demand falls, worsening the downturn.  
  
The St. Petersburg Paradox – A game with an infinite expected payout that no rational person would pay much to play.  
  
Braess’ Paradox – Adding roads to a network can increase traffic congestion instead of reducing it.  
  
Simpson’s Paradox – A trend appears in different groups of data but reverses when the groups are combined.  
  
Russell’s Paradox (one to ponder for the day) – Does the set of all sets that do not contain themselves contain itself?  
  
And I’ll leave you with one my grandmother used to put so simply: Less is more.