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Revision as of 00:21, 23 July 2013
"Disagree" redirects here. For the Malaysian band, see Disagree (band). For other uses, see Controversy (disambiguation).
Controversy is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin controversia, as a composite of controversus – "turned in an opposite direction," from contra – "against" – and vertere – to turn, or versus (see verse), hence, "to turn against."
The most applicable or well known controversial subjects, topics or areas are politics, religion and sex. Other areas of controversy include history and philosophy. Other minor yet prominent areas of controversy are economics, science, finances, culture, education, the military, society, celebrities, organisation, the media, age, gender, and race. Controversy in matters of theology has traditionally been particularly heated, giving rise to the phrase odium theologicum. Controversial issues are held as potentially divisive in a given society, because they can lead to tension and ill will, as a result they are often taboo to be discussed in the light of company in many cultures.
Legal controversy
Benford's law of controversy
Main article: Benford's law of controversyPsychological bases of controversy
See also
References
- U.S. News & World Report, Volume 117, Issues 10-17, 1994 quotation:
Perhaps that was inevitable, since abortion touches on three of the most contentious subjects in human discourse: religion, sex and politics.
- Kenneth L. Karst (1995) Law's Promise, Law's Expression p.137 quotation:
Religion, sex and politics: in my younger days, these were the subjects you weren't supposed to discuss at the dinner table.
- Susan Spencer, Margo Collins, Albert J. Rivero (2004) The eighteenth-century novel: Volume 4 p.6
...the expiration of the Printing Act in 1695 swelled the number of licensed printers, while the relaxation of censorship under the Restoration opened once-guarded topics, especially religion, sex, and politics, for public discussion