Why We Struggle with Ambiguity

Black and white, human and animal, male and female, we and they: we tend to perceive our world in pigeonholes of either-or. Can such dualistic defaults be reconciled with increasing calls for more inclusivity and openness to fluidity? By looking at thousands of newspaper articles across a 16-year period, this study explores if and how the boundaries of classic binaries are shifting. The analyses show that we largely operate with categories of assumed immutable essences (quiddity), but they also uncover the potential for flexibility. This provides hope societies can accommodate more fluid worldviews and lifestyles, and avoid recapitulating old patterns.