Definition

1. Noun:
   • Heresy: A belief or opinion that profoundly contradicts established religious doctrine, especially the official teachings of a church or religious institution. It implies a deliberate deviation from orthodoxy.
   • Paradox: A statement or proposition that, despite sound reasoning from acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems logically unacceptable, self-contradictory, or contrary to common sense. This meaning emphasizes intellectual contradiction rather than religious dissent.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Giáo hội thời Trung Cổ thường trừng phạt những người theo nghịch thuyết. (The medieval Church often punished those who followed heresy.)
  • Ý tưởng rằng Trái Đất quay quanh Mặt Trời từng bị coi là một nghịch thuyết. (The idea that the Earth revolves around the Sun was once considered a heresy.)
  • "Tôi luôn nói dối" là một ví dụ kinh điển của nghịch thuyết. ("I always lie" is a classic example of a paradox.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is formal and academic, used more in philosophical, theological, or literary contexts than in everyday conversation.
• In modern secular contexts, it is often used metaphorically to describe any idea that radically challenges a dominant scientific, political, or social dogma.
  • Lý thuyết của ông ấy là một nghịch thuyết trong ngành vật lý hiện đại. (His theory is a heresy/paradox in modern physics.)

Variants and Related Words

• Tà thuyết (n): False doctrine; often used similarly to "heresy" but can carry a stronger negative connotation of being evil or harmful.
• Dị giáo (n): Heterodoxy; beliefs that differ from the standard or official ones, but not always as severe as "nghịch thuyết."

Synonyms

• Heresy: Heterodoxy, unorthodox belief, apostasy (specifically religious).
• Paradox: Contradiction, antinomy, oxymoron (a specific figure of speech).

Related Idioms

• While there is no direct idiom using "nghịch thuyết," the concept is related to:
  • Ngược đời: Illogical, contrary to common sense; describes a situation, not a formal doctrine.

    • Kết quả đó thật ngược đời. (That result is truly paradoxical/illogical.)

1. Heresy