Constant Tension and the Cause of Human Existence: Late Night Philosophical Rant

German philosopher George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831) talked about the constant tension that exists between any given phenomenon and its exact opposite. The given phenomenon can be a conceptual idea, a scientific fact, a substantial belief, a particular object, or a specific event. Hegel's rationale is that, since any given phenomenon has an exact opposite, then on one side we have the thesis and on the other side we have the antithesis. Today we commonly label this same idea in similar terms when we talk about matter versus antimatter, light versus darkness, yin versus yang, anger versus love, hostility versus peace, and pain versus relief.

The tension that exists between the two opposing sides is continuous and inevitable. This tension appears to be an essential ingredient that makes possible the creation of natural forces that are required for anything tangible to exist. From basic astrological principles, we understand that celestial bodies tend to rotate in order to retain their shape. For example, the Earth's continuous rotation about its axis at the speed of 1,047 miles per hour creates a very strong centrifugal force that is constantly pushing and trying to launch everything out into space. Fortunately, the gravitational force caused by the large mass of our planet is constantly forcing everything towards the center of the Earth. Another way of looking at this is as follows: The Earth's centrifugal force keeps everything in the planet from being sucked inwards, and the Earth's gravitational force keeps everything from being flung outwards.

We can say the force of gravity and the centrifugal force of the Earth are two necessary and opposing powerful forces that create a constant and turbulent tension in order to maintain just enough natural balance for the Earth to exist in its current state. Another way to say this is that one of the very things that makes the Earth's existence possible is the turbulent tension between the force of gravity and the centrifugal force. This reasoning suggests that the constant struggle between two opposing forces can be seen as a necessary condition for the existence of a given phenomenon. By the same token, when we try to apply this understanding to look at the existence of a human individual, and when we include the fact that within and around that human being there could be many different forces acting at the same time, we can say that there are many powerful opposing forces which continuously cause tension in that human individual. If this is true, then we can say that the constant struggle between opposing forces is a necessary condition of life itself.

According to Walter Kaufmann (1921-1980), the terminology of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis was developed by Immanuel Kant (1724-1804). Kaufman also explained that the main ideas for Kant's terminology had been expanded by Johann Gottlieb Fichte (1762-1814) when the founding of the philosophical movement known as German idealism took place.
Source: Jesus A. Sanchez Ohep (December, 11, 2013)

The short definitions below are useful in understanding the terminology (Source: wikipedia onThesis,antithesis, and synthesis):

• The thesis is an intellectual proposition.
• The antithesis is simply the negation of the thesis, a reaction to the proposition.
• The synthesis solves the conflict between the thesis and antithesis by reconciling their common truths and forming a new thesis, starting the process over.