Hegelian Dialectic in The Wheel of Time TV Show

Watching the opening credits of The Wheel of Time, towards the end a wheel starts to form, yet it is not exactly a wheel but rather looks like a helix or a staircase within the wheel. Similarly, after the wheel FTBs, two directly opposing lights chase each other on the permiter of a circle (thesis and antithesis) and then collide together into a bright flash of light (synthesis):

and conjuring magic within the show seems to first take form as a helix and then synthesizes into something more powerful.

The idea is inspired from "helical change" found in Hegelian dialectic by Hegel, namely the helical evolution of history where history repeats itself but on a different level and in a different form. Furthermore, Hegel argued that the clash of ideas (more concretely, thesis and antithesis) is a very violent clash (or a violent revolution), especially historically, that leads to creation of a new idea (synthesis) or a new order. (This is latter opposed by Habermas whose thesis is that the clash of ideas does not have to be violent but can be settled through discourse; by laying the rules of discourse that would allow a peaceful synthesis of opposing views.) It's a glaring Easter egg, but it is a very artistic and nice (visually) exposition of helical evolution in the series.

The thesis-antithesis leading to a synthesis also describes more or less any chemical process where a new substance is synthesised from other substances and obviously with connotations to the creation of philosopher's stone (the pinnacle of creation). Matter, antimatter, combine and we could go on.

As for weaving, this is best explained by the fans.


literature/the_wheel_of_time.txt ยท Last modified: 2022/12/07 05:31 by office

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