Polemic
From Freepedia
Polemic is the art or practice of inciting disputation or causing controversy, for example in religious, philosophical, or political matters. As such a polemic text on a topic is written specifically to dispute or refute a topic that is widely viewed to be a "sacred cow" (i.e. beyond reproach), in an effort to "stir up trouble".
An example of polemicism would be Christopher Hitchens' scathing criticism of Mother Theresa, the patron saint of Calcutta and a public figure who has received almost universal praise both during and after her lifetime.
The antonym of a polemic source is an apology.
There are other meanings of the word, too. Polemic is also a branch of theology, pertaining to the history or conduct of ecclesiastical controversy.
Polemic, ‘a Magazine of Philosophy, Psychology, and Aesthetics’, during its short life (1945-47, 8 issues) published some of Orwell's best essays. ‘The Prevention of Literature’ is both a spirited attack on the ‘distortion in writing’ caused by the ‘poisonous impact on “English intellectual life” by Communist and fellow travelling apologists for Soviet actions and a strong defense of freedom of expression’. Swingler, a minor English Communist poet in his mid-30s, attacked Orwell for writing this article ‘through a fog of vagueness and through a hailstorm of private hates’, equating Orwell (and Koestler) with the anti-Soviet ‘HEARST PRESS’. Polemic's editors allowed Orwell to respond to Swingler in sidebars almost as long as the article. Orwell demolished Swingler's arguments. In ‘Lear, Tolstoy and the Fool’ Orwell dredges up and dismisses a long forgotten Tolstoy pamphlet in which the Russian author judged Shakespeare as ‘not even an average author’. Orwell used Tolstoy's pamphlet to condemn those who would practice coercion in support of their beliefs, no matter how principled or noble these might be. Both Polemic essays have been anthologized in various Orwell collections.
The word is derived from the character Polemarchus in Plato's Republic whom Plato uses as a vehicle to drive forward an ethical debate. Polemicists typically argue a very narrow point by drawing upon many seemingly unrelated premises, they tend to emote and appeal to the sensibilities of their audience. Another ancient word describing a style of argument is Sophism, a style typified by it's deliberate and clever use of rhetoric and fallacy.
