What exactly is "catch 22"?

Answer 1

A no win situation
ANYONE WHO WANTS TO READ THE BOOK STOP READING THIS NOW!
In Joseph Heller's novel "Catch 22" the lead character, Yossarian tries to get a medical discharge from the airforce (vietnam or korean war).
1. Only people who are mentally unstable would fly these planes
2. Prove that you are mentally unstable (he does)
3. Then you are one of the only people that can fly
4. But I'm insane - discharge me.
5. No - If you know that you're insane, then you obviously are not.

Answer 2

Years ago I saw a puppet skit on Sesame Street that illustrates a more complex version of Catch-22, and I've seen a stage version of the skit too. It involves a farmer who wants to get water out of his well, but his wooden bucket has a hole. In order to plug the hole, he has to chop wood, but his axe is too dull. And he can't sharpen his axe because his sharpening stone is too dry. Nor can he wet the stone because he can't get water out of his well.

Unfortunately, what the skit doesn't teach is that there are alternatives in a situation like this. The farmer could forage around for enough twigs and leaves to plug the hole in the bucket to the point where he could get enough water to wet his sharpening stone, or he could go to the nearest store and buy a new, more durable bucket. If he's in a real big rush he could borrow some water from his next-door neighbor, just enough to wet his sharpening stone and do whatever he originally wanted the water for in the first place.

On a side note, does anyone know why the author and/or his associates picked "22" for the phrase? I can understand the rhythmic allure, but then why not 33? 26? 51?

Answer 3

"There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one's safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn't have to; but if he didn't want to he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle. 'That's some catch, that Catch-22,' he observed. 'It's the best there is,' Doc Daneeka agreed."

(Catch 22, by Joseph Heller)

Answer 4

Mishmash's answer pretty much sum's it up. Keller's book, Catch-22, is based on an actual air force rule, originally called Catch-18. Catch-22 is more rhythmic, and thus more memorable.

Answer 5

If you want to resolve a problem, you choose an option but in choosing that option is admitting you didn't have a problem in the first place, which you actually do!!

In the book "Catch 22", the man wants to be grounded from flying because of mental health. However, to do so, he needs to admit that he has it... and in doing so he has also proven that he has no mental illness and therefore he is healthy enough to fly.

Hope that helps.

Answer 6

when you get back to the first question that started the catch 22 in the first place. that's the catch to begin with.

Answer 7

It is my understanding that the phrase itself comes from the book. Straight up, copy and paste.

Meaning

A paradox in which the attempt to escape makes escape impossible.

Origin

catch-22The title of Joseph Heller's novel, written in 1953 and published in 1961, (properly titled 'Catch-22' - with a hyphen). The first chapter was also published in a magazine in 1955, under the title 'Catch-18'.

The paradox is presented as the trap that confined members of the US Air Force. In logical terms the 'catch' was that, by applying for exemption from highly dangerous bombing missions on the grounds of insanity, the applicant proved himself to be sane (after all, that's what any sane person would do). If anyone applied to fly they would be considered insane. Either way; sane or insane, they were sent on the missions. This might be described logically as, 'damned if you do and damned if you don't', 'the viscous circle', 'a chicken and egg situation', or 'heads I win, tails you lose'.

In the book, this is explained thus:

Yossarian looked at him soberly and tried another approach. "Is Orr crazy?"
"He sure is," Doc Daneeka said.
"Can you ground him?"
"I sure can. But first he has to ask me to. That's part of the rule."
"Then why doesn't he ask you to?"
"Because he's crazy," Doc Daneeka said. "He has to be crazy to keep flying combat missions after all the close calls he's had. Sure, I can ground Orr. But first he has to ask me to."
"That's all he has to do to be grounded?"
"That's all. Let him ask me."
"And then you can ground him?" Yossarian asked.
"No. Then I can't ground him."
"You mean there's a catch?"
"Sure there's a catch," Doc Daneeka replied. "Catch-22. Anyone who wants to get out of combat duty isn't really crazy."
There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one's safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn't have to; but if he didn't want to he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle.
"That's some catch, that Catch-22," he observed.
"It's the best there is," Doc Daneeka agreed.

The phrase is now often misapplied to any problematic or unwelcome situation.

Answer 8

A book

Answer 9

catch 22 comes from the book by Joseph Heller set in the Korean war, where to get out of your tour of service as a pilot you had to be declared mad, but to be declared mad you had to say that you wanted to continue your tour of service, if you said you wanted to go home you must be sane - this is the origin of the phrase

Answer 10

When there are two conditions that conflict with each other, preventing you from achieving a goal.

In the original example from Joseph Heller's novel, it was as follows:
1) If you want to get out of the army, you have to be crazy.
2) Wanting to get out of the army is proof of your sanity.