Antithesis is that which, due to its conditions or characteristics, is opposed to something else.
The antithesis is that which, due to its characteristics or conditions, is totally opposite to something else , according to the first meaning mentioned in the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ).
For example: “Ricardo is the antithesis of Juana: he is quiet and withdrawn, while she spends all day talking and socializing,” “The political project of the opposition is the antithesis of the model that we have been developing successfully at the national level since more than a decade ago” , “The actions of the police in this case constitute the antithesis of what the procedures indicate” .
The etymology
The etymological journey of the term antithesis begins in late Latin ( antithĕsis ) and then passes to Greek ( antíthesis ) before reaching our language. If we focus on the Greek word, we can see that it is the sum of several clearly defined elements:
- The prefix anti- , which can be translated as “opposite” .
- The term tithemi , which is equivalent to “I put” .
- The suffix -sis , which is synonymous with “action” .
Examples of antithesis
One of the most important phrases that have become part of rhetoric is a perfect example of what antithesis is. We are referring to what Neil Armstrong said when he reached the Moon in 1969 : “This is one small step for man, but one big step for humanity.”
However, there are many other well-known examples of antithesis:
- “When I want to cry I don't cry, and sometimes I cry without meaning to.” ( Ruben Dario ).
- “Love is so short and oblivion is so long.” ( Pablo Neruda ).
- “You are like the rose of Alexandria, red at night, white by day.” ( Lope de Vega ).
The idea of antithesis is used in philosophy.
The concept in rhetoric and philosophy
At the level of rhetoric and philosophy , antithesis is the opposition that exists between two expressions or judgments . Its use allows the development of dialectics that results in the construction of knowledge.
In this framework, we find a proposition, a conception or a discourse that constitutes the thesis . This is a statement that is somehow justified or proven. Antithesis is contrary reasoning : it proposes something that contradicts the thesis, confronting its arguments. The dialectic indicates that, after the opposition between thesis and antithesis, a new perspective emerges that is condensed in the synthesis . This third proposition (the synthesis) represents a different understanding of the issue at hand.
A simplified example of the process is the following: “Dogs are black” (thesis) / “However, yesterday I saw a white dog” (antithesis) / “There are black dogs and white dogs” (synthesis).
Philosophical antithesis
Within philosophy we can emphasize that the use of antithesis has a series of particularities:
- It can be used to undertake a refutation.
- They are usually preceded by expressions such as “however” , “nevertheless” or “but” , among others.