The eighth paperback Collins English dictionary defines conflict as:

  1. [An] opposition between ideas or interests.
  2. A struggle or battle.
  3. To be incompatible.

The Latin root word of conflict is ‘confligere’, or ‘to combat’. While the Latin and second definition interest me – and may also be presumed the most important definitions for the content we have looked at this semester – I find definition one far more interesting. An opposition between ideas or interests.
What is an opposition? According to whoever Collins is, an opposition is five things. To save time and words, I will provide the two definitions of preeminent importance:

  1. The act of opposing or being opposed.
  2. Hostility, resistance, or disagreement.

The first definition is basically useless. It gets us to ‘oppose’ though, and that is of some value. The second definition listed for ‘oppose’ is ‘in strong contrast with’, or to rephrase, ‘a strong contrast.’

[A] ‘strong contrast’ between ideas or interests.

[A] ‘strong contrast’ ‘at a point intermediate to two other points in space, time, etc’ ideas or interests.

[A] ‘strong contrast’ ‘intermediate to’ ‘thoughts, intentions, beliefs, opinions’ or interests.

[A] ‘strong contrast’ ‘intermediate to’ ‘thoughts, intentions, beliefs, opinions’, ‘curiosities, concerns, pursuits, aims, or involvements.’

One definition of conflict is ‘a strong contrast intermediate to thoughts, intentions, beliefs, opinions, curiosities, concerns, pursuits, aims, or involvements.’ A mouthful, but this exercise has helped me demonstrate two important points.

  1. Firstly, words are only so useful. I just took a word’s definition and manipulated it to better elicit my own understanding of conflict: instead of focusing on the physical manifestation of violence, I conceive of conflict as being something subjective, normative, capable of being wholly internal or interpersonal, but always causally associated with the experiences of those involved.
  2. While words may only be so useful, we can set out frameworks which allow us a rational use of them. What conflict is varies person to person, place to place, context to context, but we can set out parameters which – while normative themselves – tell us what is necessary and sufficient for something to be considered our definition of conflict.

What is necessary for something to be a conflict, and what is sufficient for something to be a conflict?

 

Collins. Collins English Dictionary. 8th Edition. Glasgow: HarperCollins Publishers, 2019.