Where there is meaning, there is paradigm, and where there is paradigm {opposition}, there is meaning . . . elliptically put: meaning rests on conflict {the choice of one term against another}, and all conflict is generative of meaning: to choose one and refuse the other is always a sacrifice made to meaning, to produce meaning, to offer it to be consumed.
Roland Barthes’ reflection on meaning emphasizes the intrinsic connection between meaning and opposition, specifically the idea that meaning arises not in isolation but through paradigmatic conflict—the choice between alternate terms or possibilities. This concept resonates strongly with structuralist and semiotic thought, where meaning is never a stable, fixed entity but is produced by the differentiation among elements within a system. Barthes suggests that meaning is inherently active and dynamic, generated through...
