enantiodromia means the principle whereby the superabundance of one force inevitably produces its opposite, as with physical equilibrium.
Why “enantiodromia” is a great word
The process by which an excess of any force inevitably generates its opposing force, a principle of dynamic opposition found in both nature and the psyche. From Ancient Greek ἐναντίος (enantíos, "opposite") + δρόμος (drómos, "running, course") + -ία (-ía, noun-forming suffix). Unlike "dialectic," which proposes a reasoned synthesis of contradiction, or "homeostasis," which strives for steady equilibrium, enantiodromia is the blind, compensatory swing of the pendulum itself. It is the tyranny that breeds revolution, the fervent piety that curdles into iconoclasm, and the personal obsession that becomes its own prison—a quiet law that every zenith contains the seed of its nadir.
Etymology
From enantio- + + Ancient Greek δρόμος (drómos, “running”) + -ic.
noun
- The principle whereby the superabundance of one force inevitably produces its opposite, as with physical equilibrium.“If one wishes to gain an understanding of how humanity could shift from the one to the other, one needs to have an understanding of the enantiodromia (a movement that turns into its opposite) of the development of gathering into agriculture.”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.