Alternative is the option that exists between two or more things; that is, it is when you have the possibility of being able to select, prefer, opt, choose or choose between two or more different things or situations. Throughout life and in the day-to-day life of the human being, he is usually faced with different alternatives from which he must always choose one, such as studying, or working full time, marrying or remaining single, having children or not, are the most common alternatives an individual must choose from.
Many times it tends to say that there is no possible alternative to certain circumstances that are presented to an individual; This means that events are presented in such a hermetic way that it is impossible to find another possibility and there is only one option to go to.
Situations such as death or events that are beyond the control of any person, such as a natural disaster or an accident, are considered situations or circumstances that do not present a possible or viable alternative solution.
What is an alternative
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An "alternative" is called the possibility of choosing or deciding between two or more options regarding a situation, destination, object, person, action. Every day decisions are made in the face of the range of alternatives that are presented in the personal, work and social sphere.
In the field of study, there is a multidisciplinary area that involves different branches, such as decision theory. This theory studies behavior and how decision-making influences the individuals who make them. It helps to decipher what is an alternative, to identify which is the best to take, taking into account that the individual is able to decide with as much information from the environment as possible and with a rational criterion when choosing.
By having options, there are infinite possibilities in the results of the daily actions of the human being. From the moment a person wakes up in the morning, they have alternatives in their daily lives and, therefore, they must decide: Get up at that moment, or sleep 5 more minutes; wear slippers, or go barefoot; brush your teeth first, or wash your face; what clothing to wear; what to have for breakfast; are, among many others, the alternatives that are presented to you in your day to day. Deciding on one alternative or another can change the course of the entire day, and even have an impact further.
In the field of research, the alternative takes center stage since, at the time of carrying out a project, in its logical framework and once the problem is identified, the alternative solutions or hypotheses to the problem are generated. This allows creating strategies that will be implemented according to the selected alternative.
There are also other possible uses for the alternative word. Among them is the effect of alternating, that is, what happens successively in turns. In addition, it refers to the action carried out or the right that any individual or community has to carry out something, alternating with another action.
Synonyms for alternative
Within this variation of terminology, there are both similes and synonyms for alternative. Among the similes, the word “ Alterno ” stands out. An example of common use is that of alternating current, which is that electric current in which the magnitude and the sense of it vary in a cyclical way.
Developed by the mechanical, physical, electrical engineer and inventor Nikola Tesla, this is the type of current that is easier to transport and even to generate. It represented an impact in the nineteenth century, since the arrival of this type of current avoided the waste of energy over long distances through the increase in electrical voltage, unlike direct current.
The word option is also a synonym for alternative and represents anything that can be chosen.
In the environment of bullfighting practices, it is called an "alternative" to the ceremony where a person is awarded the category of bullfighter. And in mathematics, it refers to the element of logical disjunction.
Practical uses of the word "alternative"
The term "alternative" is also related to a person, situation, thing or any other concept, outside the conventional, of the model implanted in society or of the current.
An example of this is reflected in alternative music, which is considered as that musical genre that is far from the existing style among the songs that occupy places in the most popular charts of the moment, so it is a style that is consumed by a group select of people, with characteristics and particular tastes that lean towards the "alternative", even in other areas outside of music.
Among the genres that are considered alternative are indie music (Sigur Rós, Bon Iver), new wave (Joy Division, Interpol), grunge (Pearl Jam, Deftones) and alternative or underground rock (REM, The Clash).
Within the sciences, alternative medicine stands out, which are those healing practices not approved or supported by scientific medicine, which is why it is considered a pseudoscience. Within the application of alternative medicine, therapies, products of natural origin, and alternative practices can be highlighted, and the scientific medical community suggests that in many cases, their results are the product of placebo effects.
Within alternative medicine there are several practices, among which we can highlight:
- Homeopathy (states that a substance that causes a certain disease in someone healthy can cure it in a sick person).
- Chiropractic (relationship between the structure of the spine with the functions of the central nervous system, and that correcting it restores the patient's health).
- Acupuncture (healing by inserting needles into specific points of the body according to the ailment or condition).
- Ayurvedic medicine (by unifying the body, mind and spirit, health will be obtained).
This branch is accompanied by complementary medicine, which is the alternative medicine used in facts under belief and complements the treatment. As they are not treatments proven by science, the scientific medical community warns about the indiscriminate use of it, since the effects that it could have for each particular case are unknown.
There are also alternative energy sources, also called renewable or green, which are presented as an option compared to traditional energies, which are those that involve the consumption of fossil fuels, a process that has boomed in recent decades in the face of imminent change. climate, since the burning of the latter releases a significant amount of CO2 that goes directly to the ozone layer, and, when trapped, creates the so-called greenhouse effect, thus accelerating global warming.
This type of alternative energy sources are classified into two groups: renewable and nuclear energy. Among the renewable energies, the best known are:
- Wind (obtaining energy through the force of the wind).
- Solar (through heat and sunlight).
- Biomass (used from organic matter through natural or industrial processes).
- Tidal or energy from the sea (force of tides and waves).
- Geothermal (comes from high temperatures inside the earth's surface).
- Iogas (through the decomposition of organic matter, whose gases generate electricity).
In the recreational field, the concept of alternative is also present. Such is the case of alternative tourism, which is carried out through the care and sustainability of the environment: it is responsible and conscientious tourism, where the tourist has direct contact with the nature and culture of the town, without invasively intervening in the heritage, customs and traditions of the environment.
It is called alternative tourism, because it escapes the standards of traditional tourism, which includes travel by plane, train and vehicles powered by fossil fuels; and stays in hotels where there is the presence of modern world comforts, such as air conditioning, Internet, among others.
Also in the field of entertainment, alternative sports are located, which are those that do not have a large number of practitioners as they are not taught in traditional physical education. These sports represent a fresh option for young people who are not motivated by traditional sports.
In addition to being practically unknown, they are called alternative, since both the place of their practice, and the materials used in them, are not conventional. They stand out:
- Individuals on wheels (skateboarding, skating, cycling).
- Throwing (freesbie, boomerang, juggling).
- Collectives (fun ball, balonkorf).
- Of opponents (paddles, badminton, shutfleball).
- Cooperation (skydiving, ultimate, giant balloons).
The definition of alternative even has scope in the way man communicates. Alternative communication takes a presence in everyday life. The Internet is a clear example of this, having the presence of tools such as websites, blog forums, podcasts, alternative chat, among others.
