“Eristic” refers to creating conflict or confusion, named after the Greek goddess Eris. Eristic principles prolong conflict rather than resolve it and are used in modern political debates. The golden apple story is the most famous myth about Eris. In modern times, eristic tactics are used to prolong conflict and anger opponents. Discordianism was founded on the belief that eristic principles dictate human behavior. Its symbol is the golden apple of Eris.
“Eristic” refers to the process of creating conflict, discord, or confusion. The term takes its name from the Greek goddess of disorder, Eris, also known as Discordia. In debate and argument, eristic principles are employed to prolong rather than resolve the conflict at hand. These principles are often employed in modern political discussions and debates. During the 1960s, the joke religion Discordianism was founded on the belief that eristic principles dictated most human behavior, especially the behavior of people in groups.
According to ancient Greek theology, each earthly realm or concept was overseen and maintained by a corresponding god. Eris was the daughter of the goddess of the night; her siblings included the gods of death, vengeance, and destiny. Her jurisdiction implied any state of conflict, disorganization, or chaos. Such situations have therefore been defined as eristic. The most famous Greek myth about Eris is the story of the golden apple, also known as the judgment of Paris.
According to this legend, Zeus invited the gods to the wedding of a sea nymph, but left Eris out, fearing she might cause trouble. Feeling spiteful, Eris delivered a golden apple at the wedding; written on the apple was the word “kallisti”, which means “for the most beautiful”. The other goddesses argued about which of them was the most beautiful; Zeus, wisely refusing to get involved, ordered a human named Paris to decide. Aphrodite bribed Paris with the hand of the most beautiful woman on Earth, Helen of Troy. According to tradition, this led directly to the Trojan War, a seminal event in Greek history and the inspiration for the epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey.
In modern times, anything that causes conflict or discord is said to be eristic. In speech and debate, for example, there are certain tactics that are not intended to fairly win a debate, but merely to prolong the conflict or confuse and anger an opponent. Philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer identified these “38 Stratagems” in his book Eristic Dialectic. These tactics are not considered fair under the rules of debate etiquette. However, they are often used in modern political debate and open discussion of controversial topics.
In the 1960s, American writers Kerry Thornley and Gregory Hill decided that eristic principles clearly dictated much of human behavior and history. As a result, they invented Discordianism, a religion that celebrates Eris and her work in the modern world. While some considered Discordianism to be an artistic joke or joke, it attracted many adherents who saw the gist of its concepts as meaningless. The symbol of Discordianism is the golden apple of Eris, known as the Apple of Discord. Author Robert Anton Wilson, who wrote frequently on discordianism, described the eristic principles governing human endeavor as “chaos, discord, confusion, bureaucracy, and international relations.”
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