From Contradiction to Joy – Article 1: Contraddizione C and the Necessity of Resolution

Introduction

The history of Western thought has been shaped by a fundamental contradiction—the assumption that being can become non-being and vice versa. This contradiction, which Emanuele Severino terms contraddizione C, underlies the metaphysical illusion of becoming. If left unresolved, it leads to nihilism, fragmentation, and the perpetual instability of knowledge. Yet, the necessity of Being makes the resolution of contraddizione C inevitable. But what does this resolution entail? Why is it not a singular event but an infinite unfolding? And why does this necessity bring with it the joy and glory that Severino describes?

The Inescapable Contradiction of Becoming

All systems of thought that accept becoming—that something can emerge from nothing or disappear into nothing—fall into contraddizione C. This contradiction is not simply a mistaken idea but the core assumption behind the entire history of philosophy, science, and common sense. The world as commonly conceived is a world of contingency, where things arise, change, and perish. Yet, if Being is necessary and eternal, then becoming is an illusion, and the contradiction must be resolved.

Severino shows that if something exists, it cannot transition into absolute nothingness or emerge from it. What is, is eternally. If one truly follows the consequences of this truth, then all becoming dissolves, and Being reveals itself as eternally self-identical. The contradiction of becoming does not simply disappear but necessarily leads to its own resolution—an unveiling of the eternal structure of reality.

Why the Resolution Is Infinite

The resolution of contraddizione C is not a singular event but an infinite process. If Being is necessary, then its appearing is not static or completed in a finite moment. Rather, the unveiling of truth is an eternal movement—an ever-deepening recognition of what has always been.

This does not mean that Being changes or evolves, but that its appearing is inexhaustible. The overcoming of contraddizione C does not lead to a final, frozen state of knowledge but to an eternal unfolding, where what is eternally true appears in ever-new ways. Each moment of insight is not an endpoint but a step in the infinite journey of necessity.

The Inevitable Joy and Glory of Being

Severino speaks of joy and glory as essential to the recognition of Being. Why? Because if all fear, suffering, and loss arise from the illusion of becoming, then their dissolution must necessarily bring joy. The tragedy of existence is only possible within the framework of contraddizione C, where things appear contingent and subject to annihilation. But once this illusion is dispelled, what remains is the fullness of Being—eternal, necessary, and free from all lack.

Joy is not a psychological state but the necessary recognition of the eternal fulfillment of Being. And glory is the appearing of this necessity in its ever-deepening radiance. To exist within necessity is to exist within the inexhaustible revelation of truth—where every moment is an affirmation of the eternal and nothing is lost.

Conclusion

The resolution of contraddizione C is not merely an intellectual clarification but the inevitable unfolding of truth. It cannot be otherwise, for the contradiction of becoming necessarily leads to its own dissolution. And this resolution is not a finite event but an infinite appearing, where Being unveils itself in ever-greater clarity. This infinite unveiling is necessarily joyous, for it is the recognition of what is eternally fulfilled and beyond all loss. And it is glorious, for it is the appearing of the inexhaustible radiance of truth. In the next article, we will explore why this resolution is not static but an eternal process—an unfolding that has no end because it belongs to the structure of necessity itself.