AN'TINOMY, the word used by Kant to mark the inevitable conflict or contradic tion into which, in his view, the speculative reason falls with itself when it seeks to conceive the complex of external phenomena, or nature, as a world or cosmos. Literally, the word means a conflict or opposition of laws. It is used by Kant both in a generic, and in a specific sense; the necessity that lies upon the speculative endeavors of human reason taking the form of four special contradictions. For the generic sense Kant also has the word Antithetic, each antinomy being set forth in the shape of thesis and and antithesis, with corresponding demonstrations, the perfect validity of which, in all cases, he positively guarantees. Briefly; his theses are: The world (1) is limited in space .and time, (2) consists of parts that are simple, (3) includes causality through freedom, (4) implies the existence of an absolutely necessary being. Over against these stand the antitheses: The world (1) is without limits in space or time, (2) consists of parts always composite, (3) includes no causality but that of natural law, (4) implies the existence of no absolutely necessary being. Kant overcomes these antinomies by showing that the contradiction is not real if' critically considered with due discrimination between noumena and phenomena. Sir William Hamilton's view, in his Philosophy of the
Conditioned, Is not the same as Kant's theory of A., though a connection is traceable between the two.
•NTINbIIS, a beautiful youth of Claudiopolis, in Bithynia. He was page to the emperor Hadrian, and the object of his extravagant affection, accompanying him in all his travels, but was either drowned accidentally in the river Nile, or as sonic suppose, committed suicide from a loathing of the life lie led, in 122 A.D. His memory and the grief of the emperor were perpetuated by many statues and bas-reliefs, of which several are very beautiful, especially two now in Rome—one found in the baths, and the other in the villa of Hadrian. " In all figures of A.," says Winekelmann, "the face has a rather melancholy expression; the eyes are large, with fine outlines; the profile is gently sloped downwards; and the mouth and chin are especially beautiful." The city of Besa, in the Thebais, near to which A. was drowned, was also rebuilt by Hadrian, and the name of AntinoOpolis conferred upon it, in memory of his favorite. A. was further enrolled amongst the gods, and temples erected to him in Egypt and Greece.