BharatNotes Dichotomy
noun (countable)Usage in a UPSC answer
Indian welfare policy has long been trapped in a false dichotomy between growth and redistribution, when in fact a robust social safety net and a dynamic market economy are mutually reinforcing rather than mutually exclusive.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
dichotomous (adj), dichotomously (adv), dichotomise (v), dichotomisation (n)
Root
Greek dikho- = in two, apart + -tomia = a cutting (from temnein = to cut); via Late Latin dichotomia
Etymology
From Greek dikhotomia, from dikho- "in two, apart" + -tomia "a cutting" (from temnein "to cut"); via Late Latin dichotomia. First recorded in English late 16th century.
Memory Hook
Greek dikha 'in two' + temnein 'to cut' — a "di-" (two) "-tomy" (cut), like an anaTOMY that CUTS something cleanly into TWO opposed halves.
How This Word Works in UPSC Writing
A division into two mutually exclusive parts. It is heavily used in Essay, and heavily misused, so precision pays: a genuine dichotomy admits no middle ground. The politics-administration dichotomy is a standard GS4 reference, and the strongest answers use it to argue that the neat separation does not survive contact with practice.
Don’t Confuse It With
A dichotomy is a division into two exclusive and exhaustive parts. A spectrum admits degrees between poles. A false dichotomy is the fallacy of presenting two options as exhaustive when others exist. A paradox is an apparent contradiction rather than a division.
Hindi Meaning
द्विविभाजन (dvivibhājan) or द्वंद्व (dvandva).
Common Questions
- What is a dichotomy?
- A division of something into two mutually exclusive and jointly exhaustive parts.
- What is a false dichotomy?
- A reasoning error in which only two options are presented as if they were the only possibilities, when in fact others exist.
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