Opposition
Hegel (Logic of Essence, moment of distinction)
Opposition is the highest stage of distinction (after absolute difference and diversity). In opposition, the determinations are no longer indifferent to each other (as with diversity), but are *essentially* related to each other: each moment is what it is *through exclusion* of the other.
Origin
Hegel develops a sequence of stages: distinction → diversity → opposition → contradiction. Opposition is more stable than contradiction, but more dynamic than mere diversity.
In Hegel
Enc. §119; SL Vol. 2, Essence
Cross-references
Contradiction · Unterschied · Verschiedenheit · Reflective Determinations · Positiv/Negativ
Beispiele
Positive and negative, plus and minus, above and below, master and servant. These exist only in pairs — "positive" without "negative" is meaningless.
Die struktur
Opposition already contains contradiction within itself, but not yet explicitly. The terms of the opposition exclude each other *and* mutually presuppose each other. This tension drives toward contradiction.