Dichotomy. With the 'Lost' series finale sadly behind us, I think it's time for one of my favorite words, dichotomy. (die-cot-oh-mee for those of us that feel the pronunciation guide looks about as useful as hieroglyphics) Oh, how I love a good dichotomy. Don't you? The writers of 'Lost' certainly do - the series is riddled with them.
The most used definitions of dichotomy are "division into two parts or kinds; subdivision into halves or pairs", and "division into two exclusive, opposed, or contradictory groups". I like to think of it as the division that creates two things that cannot exist without each other. It refers to any splitting of a whole into exactly two non-overlapping parts. The division creates two subsets that are:
a. mutually exclusive - nothing can belong to both parts at the same time
and
b. jointly exhaustive - everything must belong to one part or the other.
It's my humble opinion that 'Lost' was (is) so intriguing to so many people in great part because of the dichotomous aspects of the story; light vs. dark, good vs. evil, fate vs. free will, faith vs. science. The list goes on and on, and mirrors our own journeys through life. Our lives are permeated by dichotomies. I would venture to say you could fill a page in a few minutes if you started to list all the dichotomies surrounding you. Give it a shot.
As a parting gift take Pablo Picasso's famous words on the subject:
"Never permit a dichotomy to rule your life, a dichotomy in which
you hate what you do so you can have pleasure in your spare time."
2 comments:
First, I wish to thank you profusely for your latest endeavour. Your penchant for vernacular is impressive. If I may, I would like to offer an observation on one of the preceding posts as it concerns itself with the banalities of one Miss Morrisette. I believe the song itself is the irony, or more specifically verbal irony as you so astutely pointed out. It is Verbal Irony that everything she intends to be "Ironic" in the prose, is in actuality not ironic at all. Dreary and sophomoric as my observations may be, I leave them with you. Oh yeah and I really dig the new site. I'll like totally be here tons n stuff
Dichotomy is definitely one of my favorite words!
Post a Comment