Editing Catch-22 (logic) (section)

{{short description|Situation in which one cannot avoid a problem because of contradictory constraints}}
[[File:Catch-22 flowchart.svg|thumb|upright=1.3|A flowchart showing Joseph Heller's original Catch-22]]
A '''catch-22''' is a [[paradox]]ical situation from which an individual cannot escape because of contradictory rules or limitations.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Largest Idioms Dictionary |first1=The Idioms |title=Catch 22 meaning |url=https://www.theidioms.com/catch-22/ |website=Theidioms.com |access-date=12 May 2020}}</ref> The term was first used by [[Joseph Heller]] in his 1961 novel ''[[Catch-22]]''.

Catch-22s often result from rules, regulations, or procedures that an individual is subject to, but has no control over, because to fight the rule is to accept it. Another example is a situation in which someone is in need of something that can only be had by not being in need of it (e.g. the only way to qualify for a loan is to prove to the bank that you do not need a loan). One connotation of the term is that the creators of the "catch-22" situation have created arbitrary rules in order to justify and conceal their own [[abuse of power]].