Mishra's Paradox: Real, Fake, and Nothingness

This paper introduces Mishra’s Paradox of Existence, a conceptual paradox concerning the relational definitions of “real,” “fake,” “everything,” and “nothing.” The argument holds that when these concepts are used to define existence itself, their meanings become circular and conceptually unstable because they depend on relational contrasts. The paradox is symbolically expressed as: Real = Everything = Nothing = Fake Rather than asserting literal metaphysical identity, the paper argues that the equation represents the collapse of conceptual distinctions when relational concepts are extended beyond their metaphysical grounding. The work situates the paradox within broader philosophical discussions concerning the limits of conceptual systems, drawing on ideas from Gödel, Wittgenstein, Kant, and Nagarjuna.