The Square Circle: A Thought Experiment on Observation-Dependent Dynamic Phenomena

The phrase "square circle" has traditionally served in philosophy as the canonical example of self-contradiction. This paper proposes a reframing: rather than treating "being circular" and "being square" as fixed, observer-independent properties, we treat them as phenomena generated through the relationship between an object, an observation apparatus, and a time window. Through a concrete thought experiment — a square plate set in rapid rotation, observed under varying exposure times and sampling periods — we demonstrate that the same single object generates circle-type phenomena and square-type phenomena depending solely on observational conditions. This reframing transforms the question from "Can a square circle exist?" to "Under what conditions are square-type and circle-type phenomena generated from the same object?" The experiment draws structural inspiration from the concept of superposition in Schrödinger's Cat, while operating entirely at a classical, macroscopic scale. The central argument is that contradiction resides not in logic but in the framing of the question; when the question is correctly reframed, contradiction is transformed into condition-dependent plurality.