A polemic (pron.: /pəˈlɛmɪk/) is a contentious argument that is intended to establish the truth of a specific understanding and the falsity of the contrary position. Polemics are mostly seen in arguments about very controversial topics.
The art or practice of such argumentation is called polemics.
A person who often writes polemics, or who speaks polemically, is a polemicist or a polemic.[1] The word is derived from the Greek πολεμικός (polemikos), meaning "warlike, hostile",[2][3] which comes from πόλεμος (polemos), "war".[4]
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Overview [edit]
Along with debate, polemics are one of the most common forms of arguing. Similar to debate, a polemic is confined to a definite controversial thesis. But unlike debate, which may allow for common ground between the two disputants, a polemic is intended only to establish the truth of a point of view while refuting the opposing point of view.
Polemics are usually addressed to important issues in religion, philosophy, politics, or science. Polemic journalism was common in continental Europe at a time when libel laws were not so stringent as they are now.[5]
To support the study of the controversies of the 17th–19th centuries, a British research project has placed online thousands of polemical pamphlets from that era.[6]
Polemic theology [edit]
Polemic theology is the branch of theological argumentation devoted to the history or conduct of controversy over religious matters.[7] It is distinguished from apologetics, the intellectual defense of faith.
Martin Luther's On the Bondage of the Will is an example of polemic theology. It was written in answer to a polemic titled The Freedom of the Will by Desiderius Erasmus.
Noted polemicists [edit]
A brief list of people who are associated with polemics:
- Adi Shankaracharya (Hindu philosopher - Advaita Vedanta)
- Adolf Hitler (Nazi dictator)[8]
- Alain Chartier (French author)
- Angelus Silesius (Polish poet)
- Antero Tarquínio de Quental (Portuguese poet)
- Anthony Daniels (British psychiatrist and conservative essayist, under the pen name Theodore Dalrymple)
- Antoine Arnauld (French theologian)
- António Feliciano de Castilho (Portuguese poet and translator)
- Anthony Khrapovitsky (Russian Orthodox metropolitan bishop)
- Alister E. McGrath (British Christian Theologian and Philosopher/Apologist)
- Ayn Rand (Russian-American philosopher)
- Christopher Hitchens (Anglo-American journalist and literary critic)
- C. S. Lewis (British Professor, Christian Philosopher/Apologist)
- Daniel Defoe (British author)
- David al-Mukammas (Jewish philosopher)
- David Icke (British writer)
- Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin (American missionary)
- Desiderius Erasmus (Dutch Christian humanist)
- Dinesh D'Souza (Indian author and political commentator)
- Edward Abbey (American author)
- Ellen Key (Swedish author and pedagog)
- Ellen Willis (American feminist author)
- Filippo Tommaso Marinetti (Italian author and artist)
- François Mauriac (French author)
- François-Marie Arouet (French writer/philosopher better known as Voltaire)
- Frans Sammut (Maltese novelist and historian)
- Friedrich Nietzsche (German philosopher)
- Gennadios II Scholarios (patriarch of Constantinople)
- George Gillespie (British minister and writer)
- George Orwell (British author)
- Georges Bernanos (French author)
- Germaine Greer (Australian author)
- Gian Francesco Poggio Bracciolini (Italian scholar)
- G. K. Chesterton (English journalist)
- Gore Vidal (American author)
- Jacob Israel Emden (Danish rabbi)
- Jacques Derrida (French philosopher)
- Jean-Paul Marat (French journalist and revolutionary)
- Jean-Paul Sartre (French philosopher)
- Johann Eck (German theologian)
- Johann Fischart (German satirist)
- Johannes Pfefferkorn (German controversialist)
- John Jewel (British bishop)
- John Milton (British poet)
- John Steinbeck (American writer)
- Jonathan Swift (Irish author and clergyman)
- Joseph de Maistre (French moralist)
- Juan Pablo Forner (Spanish writer)
- Junius (British author)
- Kaj Skagen (Norwegian author and essayist)
- Karl Marx (German philosopher)
- Laura Kipnis (American author and painter)
- Leo Pinsker (Russian-Polish physician)
- Léon Bloy (French author)
- Léon Daudet (French journalist and author)
- Leon of Modena (Italian rabbi and writer)
- Lorenzo Valla (Italian humanist)
- Louis Maimbourg (French historian)
- Martin Luther (German theologian)
- Maximus Planudes (Greek scholar and theologian)
- Michael Moore (American filmmaker)
- Murray Bookchin (American social philosopher)
- Newt Gingrich (American Politician, political commentator)
- Noam Chomsky (American linguist and author)
- Patrick Buchanan (American politician, political commentator, and author)
- Peter Hitchens (British columnist and author)
- Pierre Nicole (French theologian)
- Randolph Silliman Bourne (American writer and critic)
- Richard Dawkins (British scientist and author)
- Richard Montagu (British clergyman)
- Robespierre (leader of the French Revolution)
- Michael Savage (American radio talk-show host)
- Saadia Gaon (Jewish exegete and philosopher)
- Saint Anastasius Sinaita (theologian)
- Saint Ephraem Syrus (Christian theologian)
- Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe (African bishop)
- Saint Lawrence of Brindisi (Christian saint)
- Saint Prosper of Aquitaine (Christian polemicist)
- Samuel Butler (British author)
- Sean Hannity (American TV & radio talk-show host)
- Simon-Nicolas-Henri Linguet (French journalist and lawyer)
- Socrates (Ancient Greek philosopher)
- Søren Kierkegaard (Danish philosopher, theologian, and social critic)
- Sydney Smith (British preacher)
- Tertullian (Christian theologian)
- Ulrich von Hutten (German knight)
- Victor Henri Rochefort, Marquis de Rochefort-Luçay (French politician and writer)
- Vladimir Lenin (Russian Marxist and leader of the Russian revolution)
- William Lane Craig (American Christian Philosopher/Apologist)
- Zakir Naik (Indian Muslim)
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (Merriam-Webster, Springfield, MA, 2005), s.v. "polemic"
- ^ Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (Merriam-Webster, Springfield, MA, 2005), s.v. "polemic"
- ^ American College Dictionary (Random House, New York)
- ^ πόλεμος, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus
- ^ "polemic, or polemical literature, or polemics (rhetoric)". britannica.com. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
- ^ "Pamphlet and polemic: Pamphlets as a guide to the controversies of the 17th-19th centuries". St Andrews University Library. Retrieved 2012-09-11.
- ^ Nicole, Roger R. (Summer 1998). "Polemic Theology: How to Deal with Those Who Differ from Us". The Founders Journal (33). Retrieved 2008-02-21.
- ^ Kershaw 2008, pp. 89–92.
Bibliography [edit]
- Gallop, Jane (2004). Polemic: Critical or Uncritical (1 ed.). New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-97228-0.
- Hawthorn, Jeremy (1987). Propaganda, Persuasion and Polemic. Hodder Arnold. ISBN 0-7131-6497-2.
- Lander, Jesse M. (2006). Inventing Polemic: Religion, Print, and Literary Culture in Early Modern England. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-83854-1.
- Kershaw, Ian (2008). Hitler: A Biography. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-393-06757-6.
External links [edit]
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Look up polemic in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
Quotations related to Polemic at Wikiquote
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