This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Ed Poor (talk | contribs) at 20:42, 23 November 2006 (a matter of opinion or dispute over which parties actively argue, disagree or debate). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 20:42, 23 November 2006 by Ed Poor (talk | contribs) (a matter of opinion or dispute over which parties actively argue, disagree or debate)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) For the album by Prince, see Controversy (album).A controversy is a matter of opinion or dispute over which parties actively argue, disagree or debate. Controversies can range from private disputes between two to large scale disagreements. Benford's law of controversy, as expressed by science-fiction author Gregory Benford in 1980, states "Passion is inversely proportional to the amount of real information available."
Present-day areas of controversy include religion and politics. Controversy in matters of theology has traditionally been particularly heated, giving rise to odium theologicum. Controversial issues are held as potentially divisive in a given society, because it leads to heated debates, arguments and tension. Some controversies are considered taboo to many people, unless a society can find a common ground to share and discuss their feelings on a certain controversial issue.
In law
In jurisprudence, a controversy differs from a case. While the latter includes all suits, criminal as well as civil, a controversy is a purely civil proceeding. For example, the Constitution of the United States states that "the judicial Power shall extend to ... Controversies to which the United States shall be a Party" (Article 3, Section 2). The meaning to be attached to the word Controversy in the constitution is that given above.
The Case or Controversy Clause of Article III of the USs Constitution ( Art. III, Section 2, Clause 1) has been deemed to impose a requirement that United States federal courts are not permitted to hear cases that do not pose an actual controversy—that is, an actual dispute between adverse parties which is capable of being resolved by the court.
In propaganda
The term is not always used in a purely noble manner. The use of the word tends itself to create controversy where none may have authentically existed, acting as a self-fulfilling prophecy. Propagandists, therefore, may employ it as a "tar-brush," pejoratively, and thus create a perceived atmosphere of controversy, discrediting the subject:
- "Beatrix Potter's creation, Peter Rabbit..."
- vs.
- "Beatrix Potter's controversial creation, Peter Rabbit..."
Thus controversy may itself be judged controversial: see list of controversial books.
In advertising
On the other hand, controversy is also used in advertising to try to draw attention to a product or idea by labeling it as controversial, even if the idea has become widely accepted to a given segment of the population. By doing this, the company hopes that people will wish to "see what all the commotion is" and pay to view the medium. This strategy has been known to be especially successful in promoting books and films.
In early Christianity
Many of the early Christian writers, among them Irenaeus, Athanasius, and Jerome, were famed as "controversialists"; they wrote works against perceived heresy or heretical individuals, works whose titles begin "Adversus..." such as Irenaeus' Adversus haeresis. The Christian writers inherited from the classical rhetors the conviction that controversial confrontations, even over trivial matters, were a demonstration of intellectual superiority. See Christian theological controversy.
See also
Social/political controversy
- Cantor's theory controversy
- Capital controversy
- Amateur radio contesting controversies
- Newton v. Leibniz calculus controversy
Social/political controversy: local US interest
- 2004 United States election voting controversies
- 2005 NSA controversy
- Air America-Gloria Wise loan controversy
- American Idol controversy
- Biscuit Fire publication controversy
- Boy Scouts of America membership controversies
- George W. Bush military service controversy
- Californian Hindu textbook controversy
- Ward Churchill 9/11 essay controversy
- Bill Clinton pardons controversy
- Hillary Rodham Clinton controversies
- Derry-Londonderry name dispute
- Dubai Ports World controversy
- Fahrenheit 9/11 controversy
- Firestone and Ford tire controversy
- Al Gore controversies
- HGH controversies
- Michael Jackson controversies
- Kanawha County textbook controversy
- John Kerry military service controversy
- John Kerry VVAW controversy
- Limbaugh controversies
- Mortgage GSE controversy
- Native American name controversy
- NSA telephone records controversy
- NSA warrantless surveillance controversy
- Bill O'Reilly controversies
- Qur'an desecration controversy of 2005
- Redbud Woods controversy
- Santorum controversy
- Seigenthaler Misplaced Pages biography controversy
- Sternberg peer review controversy
- Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy
- USA PATRIOT Act controversy
- White House personnel file controversy
- Whitewater (controversy)
Social/political controversy: other recent
- 2006 rugby union handbag controversy
- 2006 Kapa O Pango controversy
- 9/11 conspiracy theories
- 10 Agorot controversy
- 2005 NSA controversy
- Australian Football League siren controversy, 2006
- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: controversies
- Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: controversies
- Autism: controversies
- BBC controversies
- Belmarsh Controversy
- Breast implant controversy
- Dental amalgam controversy
- Fahrenheit 9/11 controversy
- Free trade controversy
- "Gay Agenda" controversy
- Global warming controversy
- GNU/Linux naming controversy
- Horse racing: controversy in
- Hindi-Urdu controversy
- Hacker definition controversy
- HGH controversies
- The Indian Institute of Planning and Management advertising controversy
- IQ test controversy
- Islamic veil controversy in France
- Japanese history textbook controversies
- Japanese imperial succession controversy
- Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
- Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo: Hello Garci scandal
- Media controversy
- New Zealand foreshore and seabed controversy
- Nuclear power controversy
- Qur'an desecration controversy of 2005
- Race and intelligence (Public controversy)
- Rakyat Merdeka dingo cartoon controversy
- SCO-Linux controversies
- Scientology controversy
- Sexual Controversy
- Stem cell controversy
- Thaksin Shinawatra $1.88 billion deal controversy
- Thimerosal controversy
- Vaccine controversy
- Video game controversy
- Water fluoridation controversy
Secular controversy: intellectual and historical
- Abraham-Minkowski controversy
- Amount in controversy
- Devonian: the Great Devonian Controversy
- Element naming controversy
- Great rites controversy
- Hay-Schild controversy
- Indian renaming controversy
- Nobel Prize controversies
- Multiple_personality_controversy
- Pinchot-Ballinger Controversy
- Spontaneous human combustion controversy
- West Florida Controversy
Christian controversy
- Bangorian Controversy
- Chinese Rites controversy
- Creation-evolution controversy
- The Great Controversy
- Investiture Controversy
- Jehovah's Witnesses: controversies
- King James Only Controversy (disambiguation)
- Marprelate Controversy
- Quinquarticular Controversy
- Three-Chapter Controversy
- Vestments controversy
- Controversies regarding The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Other religious controversy
External links
- Non-fiction books Categorized bibliography of controversial issues and topics.
- Misplaced Pages's Neutral Point Of View dispute
- Party-Directed Mediation - Mediation of interpersonal disputes, including free PDF book. University of California.
- Contrversial issues - Directory for all controversial issues.