In critical theory, a binary opposition is a pair of theoretical opposites, often organized in a hierarchy. In structuralism, the binary opposition is thought to be a powerful tool to elucidate the fundamental structure of human thought, culture, and language. The structuralist view has been criticized, however, by post-structuralists, who view the binary opposition not as a fundamental organizer of human thought worldwide, but as an artifact of Western thought.
A classic example of a binary opposition is the rational-emotional dichotomy, of which the West imbues rational with a higher status than emotional. Another example is the dichotomy between presence and absence, with presence occupying a higher status in Western thought than absence. The similarities between each of the "higher" Western concepts such as rational and presence, as well as others such as male (vs. female) and speech (vs. writing) are thought to betray a historic bias in Western thought called logocentrism or phallogocentrism.
The critique of binary oppositions is an important part of post-feminism, post-colonialism, and critical race theory , which argue that the perceived binary dichotomy between man/woman, civilized/savage, and caucasian/non-caucasian have perpetuated and legitimized Western power structures favoring "civilized" white men.
Post-structural criticism of binary oppositions is not simply the reversal of the opposition, but its deconstruction, which is described as apolitical—that is, not intrinsically favoring one arm of a binary opposition over the other. Deconstruction is the "event" or "moment" at which a binary opposition is thought to contradict itself, and undermine its own authority.
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