Logical Opposition and Social Opposition

Abstract

There are pathologies both of logical opposition and of social opposition.
Logically, we often construct false dichotomies, mistaking contraries for contradictories
and misrepresenting distinctions as bifurcations. Socially, groups that are distinct may
see themselves as competitively opposed, leading in extreme cases to demonization
and de-humanization of the ‘opposite’ group. In this paper I offer preliminary accounts
of both logical and social opposition and explore ways in which they may be connected.