Aporia
conceptA state of philosophical puzzlement where contradictory arguments seem equally strong.
The Myth
Socrates specialised in leading interlocutors into aporia — the moment when they realised their confident beliefs were contradictory. For Socrates, aporia was not failure but the beginning of genuine philosophical inquiry. Aristotle treated aporiai as problems to be solved on the way to systematic knowledge. In Derrida's deconstruction, aporia became the point where a text's logic breaks down, revealing hidden assumptions. The concept names the productive discomfort of realising you do not know what you thought you knew.
Symbols
Fun Fact
Derrida titled one of his most important works Aporias (1993), using the Greek concept to explore the impossibility of defining death — Socrates would have approved.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth:
Explore Further
Arete
conceptArete was the Greek concept of excellence in all things — not merely moral virtue but the...
Aegis
conceptThe aegis was a divine shield or breastplate belonging to Zeus and wielded by Athena, fringed with...
Agape
conceptSelfless, unconditional love — the highest form of love in Greek philosophical and theological...
Ajax (Shield)
conceptAjax's shield was a massive tower shield of seven ox-hides layered with bronze — the largest...
Aletheia
conceptTruth understood as unconcealment — the revealing of what was hidden.
Amazonomachy
conceptThe Amazonomachy was the legendary battle between the Athenians and the Amazons who invaded Athens...
Ambrosia
conceptAmbrosia was the food of the Olympian gods — anyone who consumed it became immortal, but mortals...
Anagnorisis
conceptAnagnorisis was the moment of recognition in tragedy — when the hero discovers the truth about...
Apotropaic
conceptApotropaic rituals and symbols were used to ward off evil, bad luck, and malicious spirits — from...
Arete (Concept)
conceptExcellence or virtue — the quality of being the best possible version of what something is.
Argonauts
conceptThe Argonauts were the band of heroes who sailed with Jason on the Argo to retrieve the Golden...
Aristeia
conceptAn aristeia was a warrior's supreme moment of battlefield excellence — the extended passage in...