Contradiction implies incompatibility of propositions.
In order to discover the meaning of the term contradiction, it is necessary, first of all, to know its etymological origin. In this case, we can state that it derives from Latin, specifically from the word "contradictio", which can be translated as "action and effect of saying something against." It is the result of the sum of these components:
-«Against», which is equivalent to «in opposition».
-The verb "dicere", which is synonymous with "say".
-The suffix «-cion», which means «action and effect».
Contradiction concept
The term contradiction is used to refer to the act and result of contradicting . This verb , for its part, refers to expressing the opposite of what another person affirms; to deny what is presented as true; or to prove that something is not correct or true .
For example: "I don't understand your contradiction: do you want to go on a trip with me or not?" , "The statistical data released by the government represent a contradiction of what the president himself said," "Throughout his speech, the businessman incurred several contradictions."
Some examples
If we focus on logic , the incompatibility that exists between different propositions is called contradiction. The expressions "John is alive" and "John is dead" are contradictory, as long as they refer to the same individual: it is not compatible to state "John is alive and he is dead" since this person is either alive or dead, but not alive. and dead simultaneously. These propositions invalidate each other.
It is common for someone to contradict themselves, a peculiarity that is usually pointed out by others as an error, a defect or a fault. If the Minister of Economy of a country states that the unemployment rate is falling and, the following week, comments that it is rising, journalists and analysts will surely highlight this contradiction.
Associating two opposite elements usually causes a contradiction.
Contradiction in music and literature
In the musical field, the term in question has been used on many occasions to give titles to songs. One of the most significant is precisely “Contradicción” by the Madrid singer Malú. This is the third single from their album titled "Oxígeno" , which was released throughout 2018.
It is the twelfth album in their discography and that song has become one of their most successful. Specifically, the video clip in which the artist plays a woman who is pure contradiction and who moves between two totally different lives has aroused special interest.
In the field of literature we have to establish that one of Mao Tse Tung 's most relevant works is titled precisely "The Contradictions" . It was published in 1967 in Spanish and is made up of two parts: a first where the philosophical problems of contradictions are analyzed and a second where these guidelines are applied to the reality of China.
The term in law
In the field of law , contradiction is a legal principle that governs judicial processes.
A process arises from a controversy between two opposing parties: there is a contradiction between what the plaintiff maintains and what the defendant alleges. The judge must act as an impartial arbitrator who, according to the arguments of the parties, issues a ruling to resolve the dispute.