A paradoxical position from which one cannot escape due to conflicting laws or restrictions is known as a "catch-22." Joseph Heller invented the phrase and first used it in his 1961 book Catch-22.
Rules, laws, or processes that someone must abide by but has no influence over frequently create catch-22 situations since, in order to challenge the rule, one must also accept it. Another instance is when someone is in need of something that can only be obtained by not needing it (for example, the only way to qualify for a loan is to prove to the bank that you do not need a loan). One "catch-22 meaning" is that the individuals who established the "catch-22" circumstance have produced arbitrary regulations.
History of Catch-22 Idiom
The idiom was first used by Joseph Heller in his 1961 book Catch-22, which exposes the ludicrous bureaucratic restrictions placed on soldiers during World War II. The phrase is first used in the movie "Catch-22" by the character Doc Daneeka, an army psychiatrist who uses it to explain why a pilot who requests a mental evaluation for insanity, hoping to be found not sane enough to fly and thereby escape dangerous missions, demonstrates his own sanity in making the request and cannot be declared insane. This expression can also refer to a predicament or challenging situation from which there is no way out due to factors that are mutually exclusive or dependent.
"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 just one catch: Catch-22, which said that a logical mind's process involved being concerned for one's own safety in the face of urgent and actual hazards. Orr might be grounded because he was insane. He only needed to ask, and once he did, he would stop being insane and be required to fly additional missions. Orr had to complete the assignments since he would be insane to not do so and sane if he did. He was insane and didn't have to fly them, but he was sane and had to if he didn't want to. Yossarian was tremendously struck by its utmost simplicity.
The idiomatic expression "Catch-22" is used in many ways throughout the book. The idiom is used to describe a variety of flaws and peculiarities in the military system, always implying that the rules are unfair to and inaccessible to people at the bottom of the hierarchy. Yossarian, the main character, is informed in Chapter 6 that he must follow his commanding officer's orders at all times, regardless of whether they conflict with those of the officer's superiors.
In the last episode, an elderly woman describes Catch-22 to Yossarian while describing a military act of violence:
"Catch-22" asserts that they are entitled to engage in any activity that we are unable to prevent. How in the world can you be talking about that? Yossarian yelled at her in an indignant protest. How did you recognize a catch-22 situation? "Who the heck informed you that it was a Catch-22?" The military personnel with hard white caps and clubs The females were sobbing. They asked, "Did we do something wrong?" The guys rebuffed them and used the ends of their clubs to shove them out the door. The girls said, "So why are you shooing us out?" The guys said, "Catch-22." They only spoke in the phrase "Catch-22, Catch-22." What does the phrase "Catch-22" mean?
How does Catch-22 work?
Ian Gregson, a literature professor, claims that the elderly woman's story more clearly characterizes "Catch-22" as the "brutal operation of power," removing the "bogus sophistication" of the other situations.
The importance of the number 22
Heller and his publishers ultimately decided on the number 22 despite Heller's initial desire to refer to the phrase (and subsequently the book) by other numbers. The number was just picked for euphony; it has no specific significance. After the well-known Mila 18 was released a few months earlier, Heller altered the title from Catch-18.
Usage
The phrase "catch-22" has been widely used in English. Heller asserted that the phrase would not transfer well into other languages in a 1975 interview.
James E. Combs and Dan D. Nimmo assert that the notion of a "catch-22" has been widely accepted because so many individuals in contemporary society are exposed to vexing bureaucratic logic.
"Catch-22" has established itself as one of the most well-known expressions to represent the situation of being caught between two opposing rules, along with George Orwell's "doublethink."
Alternative medicine's key concept has been described as a catch-22. Former New England Journal of Medicine editor Marcia Angell asserted the following in an editorial she co-authored in 1998:
The scientific community has to cease subsidizing alternative medicine. Both conventional and alternative medicine are incompatible. There are only two types of medications: those that have undergone proper testing and those that have not, as well as those that either work or don't. Whether a treatment was initially seen as an alternative is irrelevant if it has undergone extensive testing. It will be accepted if it is shown to be fairly safe and effective. However, assumptions, conjecture, and testimonies are not acceptable in place of evidence. Scientific testing for alternative treatments should be just as thorough as that necessary for mainstream treatments.
The classic catch-22, as described by Joseph Heller, centers on the situation of John Yossarian, a bombardier in the U.S. Army Air Forces who wants to be barred from combat flying. This will only take place if the flight surgeon for the squadron determines that he is "unfit to fly." Any pilot who is prepared to take on such risky missions would be considered "unfit," since it would take a crazy person to volunteer for certain death. But in order to be evaluated, he must make the request, which is taken as sufficient justification for the declaration of sanity. Being deemed "unfit" is impossible under these circumstances.
Anyone who wishes to avoid combat duty isn't necessarily insane, which is the "Catch-22." Therefore, pilots who ask for a mental fitness test are sane and must participate in battle. The pilot must also engage in combat since, if he doesn't request an examination, he won't get one, and he can't be determined to be mad.