CHAPTER LXV: SCIENTIFIC STUDIES

Today, let's begin with the word, 'PATHOS." Pathos, in its original sense, denoted both passions and diseases. The sense of pathos as disease is still retained in the term 'PATHOLOGY," the study of the symptoms of diseases. Incidentally, the logical or scientific study of various items is a fundamental problem of analogies we get in GRE. Before we dig deep into the associations of "pathos", we shall take a look at some of these analogies. In all the following analogies the first term denotes the systematic study of the second.

• PATHOLOGY: DISEASE
• PETROLOGY: ROCKS
• PALAEONTOLOGY: FOSSILS
• ORNITHOLOGY: BIRDS
• ICHTHYOLOGY: FISH
• BOTANY: PLANTS
• HOMILETICS: SERMON
• PHILOLOGY: LANGUAGE
• ETYMOLOGY: WORDS
• SEMIOLOGY(SEMIOTICS): SIGNS
• SEISMOLOGY: TREMOR(EARTHQUAKE)
• LOGIC: REASONING
• ZOOLOGY: ANIMALS
• AESTHETICS: BEAUTY
• ETHICS: MORALS(BEHAVIOR)
• EPISTEMOLOGY: KNOWLEDGE
• SYNTAX: GRAMMAR
• SEMANTICS: MEANING
• PSYCHOLOGY: MIND
• RHETORIC: DISCOURSE
• THEOLOGY: RELIGION

Now, let’s revert to ‘PATHOS.’ From ‘PATHOS’ we get ‘PATHETIC’. ‘PATHETIC’ means to generate tender feelings like sorrow and pity. It’s from ‘PATHOS’ we get ‘SYMPATHY’, which means the same (sym) feeling (pathos). ‘SYMPATHY’ denotes ‘HARMONY of FEELINGS.’ But we generally use the term ‘SYMPATHY’ to mean ‘PITY’, ‘COMPASSION’, ‘CLEMENCY’, ‘MERCY’, or ‘RUTH’. We take ‘SYMPATHY’ to mean ‘KINDLINESS’. Therefore, the following can be the ANTONYMS of SYMPATHY:

• INCLEMENCY
• MERCILESSNESS
• RUTHLESSNESS
• MALEVOLENCE
• SINISTERNESS
• MALIGNITY
• UNKINDNESS
• CRUELTY

If we’re looking for an exact antonym of ‘SYMPATHY’, we get ‘ANTIPATHY’, which denotes a conflict of feelings. ‘ANTIPATHY’ refers to the feeling against someone or something. It refers to our ‘HOSTILITY’ or ‘HATRED’. It is a bitter feeling. The following are the synonyms of ‘ANTIPATHY’:

• HATRED
• AVERSION
• ABOMINATION
• ABHORRENCE
• DETESTATION
• SPITE
• LOATHING
• ODIUM
• RANCOR
• RANKLE
• RESENTMENT
• UMBRAGE
• GRUDGE
• ANIMOSITY
• ANIMUS
• HOSTILITY
• ENMITY

The last term ‘ENMITY’ is, in fact, anti-amity. ‘AMITY’ denotes ‘FRIENDSHIP’; and ‘AMI’ or ‘AMIGO’ refers to ‘FRIEND’. From ‘AMI’ we get ‘AMIABLE’ (friendly, affable) and ‘AMICABLE’ (peaceable).