The aporia or the wisdom of contradiction

The term aporia comes from Greek and can be defined as a state of uncertainty or perplexity when exposed to two opposing but acceptable arguments. It is, for example, the classic “to be or not to be” of William Shakespeare or the classic question of “What came first the chicken or the egg”. They are questions that are impossible to resolve, philosophical dilemmas that rarely take us anywhere.

However, in the past and in the time of Plato and Socrates, this type of reasoning was a valuable exercise to initiate debates and deep dialectical exercises. The key was to raise a doubt, to ask a rhetorical question and thus manage to navigate between the ambiguity of the world, between the contradictory nature of life and the intricate reasoning that makes sense and makes no sense at the same time.

What’s more, if there is something we must assume, it is that the reality that surrounds us is full of unbearable aporias. We are, for example, an incredibly individualistic globalized society. We are free beings, but at the same time victims of a thousand conditions, of infinite mechanisms that shape and standardize us.

The aporia is the wisdom of contradiction, the one that invites us to make valuable reflections, but that nevertheless do not take us anywhere…

What is aporia and what purpose does it have?

When referring to aporias it is inevitable not to cite the sophistry of the Greek philosopher Zeno.. One of them was known as “the paradox of Achilles and the tortoise.” The essence of this idea was based on an argument: movement as such does not exist. The Stoic wise man conceived mobility as a concatenation of states at rest, that is, as a sum of fixed images.

Therefore, for him a tortoise could be as fast or faster than fleet-footed Achilles, because movement, like time, are mere illusions. Thus, and following this premise, he explained that when one shoots an arrow, in reality, it does not move at any time. Its movement is the result of the infinite sum of its points of rest. What can we say therefore in the face of this type of reasoning? If we rely on classical mechanics and Newton’s laws we could completely refute them.

However, if one integrates into Zeno’s own perspective on the succession of states at rest, one can come to understand it. Therefore, understanding these examples we realize that we are all familiar with the feeling of aporia.

After all, it is that uncertainty that we sometimes experience when exposing ourselves to two contradictory, but interesting and sometimes even valid ideas. It is a knot of perplexity that, although not directly resolvable, invites us to reflect..

Deconstruct to discover: the value of everyday contradiction

“Aporetic” is an interesting adjective that we should take more into account. In fact, It would be good to acquire this characteristic, this exercise of reasoning and reflection with which to deconstruct many of our realities in order to discover that there are more options, perspectives and realities.

Deconstructing in aporia means allowing ourselves to discover the contradiction of things and also accepting that in everyday life there are opposing ideas. in its bases and its essence, but that can still be accepted. What’s more, there is the possibility of learning from each approach, even if they are irreconcilable. Be that as it may, the main objective is none other than to awaken perplexity to reflect, to accept the opposite as just another part of one’s life.

Types of aporia

Today, we use the term aporia as a synonym for difficulty. We do it to represent a dead-end path, a challenge with no apparent rational solution. However, for Greek philosophy it was like a riddle, like an exercise that encouraged dialogue, the exchange of ideas, theories and approaches to knowledge.

We should not see aporia as a kind of meaningless Gordian knot. This state of uncertainty must invite analysis and reasoning. Therefore, it is interesting to understand the two existing typologies.

Plot aporia: part of a doubt

In this type of aporia, the starting point is always a question thrown into the air, a question that often serves as a question for others to think about even though they know that it does not have a clear answer. The objective is none other than to promote ideas and arguments.

It is interesting to know that most aporias always start with questions. “What came first as the chicken or the egg?”, “Can we always believe what our eyes see or do we see through our personal interpretations and judgments?”, “Is the color orange named after the fruit or is it a the reverse?”

Tonal aporia: part of an opinion

In this second typology, we are faced with a somewhat aggressive or at least imposing aporia. In this case, dialogue is not sought but rather imposing one’s truth. It is as if we were limiting ourselves to exclusively pointing out that “the chicken came before the egg“. The idea continues to cause contradiction in us, but the phrase already has a certain tone and seeks to convince us of a preconception.

The most appropriate thing in all cases is to use an argumentative aporia that starts from a question. Only in this way is dialogue and reflection encouraged.

To conclude, beyond the classic metaphors that Plato and Aristotle used with their students through rhetorical questions, there is an undeniable fact. Multiple aporias are permeated in today’s world. Politics, society, the world of advertising, etc., do not stop harboring multiple paradoxes in their foundations that baffle us with their nonsense.

It is true that from our position, we cannot solve anything. The contradiction is sometimes continuous: we can understand all the positions, but still we are caught by perplexity. Realizing this, assuming it and reflecting on these antagonistic universes is positive and will enrich what we already know as the wisdom of contradiction.

You might be interested…