I strongly reject any conceptual scheme that places our options on a line, and holds that the only alternative to a pair of extreme positions lies somewhere between them. More fruitful perspectives often require that we step off the line to a site outside the dichotomy.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Gould rejects the idea that solutions always lie between two extremes, suggesting better perspectives come from outside the dichotomy.
- In plain terms
- Don't assume the answer is always in the middle; sometimes the right view is from a completely different angle.
- What can you take from it?
- Step outside binary choices to find better solutions.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What false choice are you accepting?
- Can you find a solution outside the two extremes?
Another view
Sometimes compromise is the only practical path forward.
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