Monday, March 28, 2011

antinomy

antinomy [ænˈtɪnəmi] n.

1.) Opposition of one law or rule to another law or rule.
2.) An opposing law or rule of any kind.
3.) (Metaph.) A contradiction or incompatibility of thought or language; -- in the Kantian philosophy, such a contradiction as arises from the attempt to apply to the ideas of the reason, relations or attributes which are appropriate only to the facts or the concepts of experience (GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English).

Etymology: Latin antinomia, from Greek antinomia : anti-, opposite + nomos, law.

"But it is so characteristic of paradoxes at their most vivid and of antinomies at their most virulent that perhaps self-application, rather than antinomy or paradox as such, is what wants closer scrutiny and deeper understanding" (Theories and Things, W. V. O. Quine, 1986).

5 comments:

D22 Zone said...

Very formative! thanks for sharing!

1StopBlog said...

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consuela bananahammoc said...

Who knows these words??

1StopBlog said...

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Kevin Faulkner said...

Browne uses this word a lot when writing of his 'elaboratory' experiments.

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