Living in today's interconnected world, the majority of people are trapped in the internet like fish in a net. Compared to a fishing net, the internet is transparent and omnipresent, and you don't need to be cautious to be caught.
As society has developed, many problems have emerged and intensified. The contradictions and divisions between different social forces have become more severe. If we want to discuss this situation, there are many diverse reasons, but the "strong binary opposition between different groups" is a fundamental reason. It is the strong binary thinking at the social cognitive level that allows things to develop in a more confrontational manner, and it is also the guidance of binary thinking that involves more unrelated people. Whether it is in the two-party elections in the United States, the division of public opinion among Chinese internet users, or the wealth gap and doctor-patient conflicts, the existence of binary thinking can be seen.
In this article, we will explore the issues related to binary thinking. Let's first understand what binary thinking is 🥂
What is Binary Thinking?#
Here, we will not discuss the standard sociological and philosophical meanings. You can search for related content 🔍.
The binary thinking we are talking about is the widely recognized and frequently used concept of black and white thinking. It is difficult to understand: China advocates the doctrine of the mean, but the prevailing concept of the social subject today is binary thinking. Binary thinking is extreme, where if it's not black, it's white, and if a person is not good, they are bad. This consciousness is not localized but permeates the underlying level of the entire social consciousness. Let's take a look at where binary thinking exists in several areas where we can relate to.
Where Does Binary Thinking Appear?#
When it comes to the existence of binary thinking, we can give countless examples: the struggle between socialism and capitalism, the contradiction between the poor and the rich, the gap between urban and rural areas, the division of foreign parties, the left-right divide in the country, and so on. Apart from these superficial things, I will try to explore the underlying areas behind these phenomena and see how binary thinking operates.
1. Education#
I believe that many problems are related to education, not that education is the root cause, but that it can be used as a line of inquiry.
In the process of a person's growth, the formation of all concepts and abilities is the result of education, including education from others and self-education. The binary orientation of our entire society is derived from the process of individual education. This tendency is not an individual's inner awakening but the result of the individual being influenced and guided by education.
From a very young age, people are educated with the idea that "if something is not good, it is bad," "if a person is not good, they are bad," "if something is not good, it is bad." People who grow up in such an atmosphere and environment unconsciously develop a judgment of everything around them, eager to give their own value judgments on various situations without first understanding the circumstances. Over time, individuals become prone to extremism and self-deception, easily leading to extreme views that have extremely negative effects on their lives and survival, as well as the security and stability of society as a whole.
2. Business#
In business, there is also a strong atmosphere of binary thinking. In this section, we mainly discuss the comprehensive elements formed by work, transactions, and other elements in the business field.
Almost everyone has transactions with others at some point, and in this process, we all want to gain more benefits for ourselves. Sometimes, we are unwilling to make any concessions, always feeling that if we lose even a little, it will cause irreparable damage, making the situation tense and dangerous for both parties. The reason behind this lies in the existence of extreme consciousness, making them feel that what they are holding onto is the most important step, and any other value is insignificant. We can say that there is selfishness and greed, but the underlying reason is the binary thinking-like polarization, which makes them believe that the part they are clinging to in this benefit is the balance's center. Any slight mistake could lead to complete destruction.
In the business environment, people's emotions and desires are more openly displayed and amplified. The reason why they are so intense is largely due to people's binary thinking, which leads to the emergence of extreme situations.
3. Ideology#
Whether it is the education aspect we mentioned earlier or the business aspect, it ultimately comes down to the ideology at the societal level because the underlying consciousness leads to the emergence of various phenomena in society.
The societal level of right and wrong is binary, and values are also binary oppositions. Whether it is the judgment of something or the judgment of a person, it has always been about success versus failure, good versus bad. Under the premise of this binary opposition, the perspective of viewing the world is singular and superficial. So where does this binary thinking come from, and how has it developed to such a profound impact on society?
How Does Binary Thinking Form?#
Since binary thinking is so prevalent in society, what are the reasons for its formation? The formation of such a social consciousness is not the result of a single element but a combination of factors. Today, we will mainly explore the reasons for its birth from two perspectives or levels.
Individual Level#
At the individual level, we need to see how binary thinking has played a role in the process of human survival, leading to such a deep-rooted presence at the individual level.
In the process of human evolution, individuals have to face various sudden situations. In order to make choices that are more beneficial to their survival in that instant, they often leave the most important options behind. Choose and live, fail to choose and die. Therefore, in the process of evolution over tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years, in a long list of choices such as "life-death," "stay in place-quickly run," individuals gradually formed a set of practical decision-making patterns. This decision-making pattern is primarily based on binary thinking.
Societal Level#
At the societal level, how has the prevalent binary consciousness in society formed?
To understand the reasons for the formation of binary thinking at the societal level, we first need to look at the composition of society. We can roughly express it with a formula: Society = Individuals * Relationships between individuals. This means that society is composed of "individuals" and "relationships between individuals." We have already mentioned binary thinking at the individual level, so let's take a look at how binary thinking is formed in the "relationships between individuals."
In the relationships between individuals, on the one hand, individuals compete with each other for their own interests, and the competition between individuals in the network of relationships generates many emotions and value orientations of binary opposition, contributing to the birth of binary thinking. On the other hand, the operation of the entire interpersonal network consumes a great deal of social energy. In order to reduce energy consumption during the operation, interference factors are minimized, resulting in the binary nature of the factors. Over time, this has led to binary thinking at the societal level.
So far, we have understood the reasons for the formation of binary thinking. How should we approach the existence of binary thinking?
Attitude Towards Binary Thinking#
The impact of binary thinking cannot be judged as purely good or bad. If we do so, we would fall into the binary thinking of judging binary thinking. However, what we can understand is that its existence is the result of long-term development and is beneficial to human survival and social cooperation within a certain range and stage. But with the diversification and complexity of social information, the binary approach is no longer effective in solving complex problems. At this point, we need to seek new and more beneficial methods.
In the face of today's highly synthesized and complex society, perhaps in certain experiential and marginal areas, we can still use binary thinking to quickly solve problems. However, in many other areas, we need to introduce new concepts and methods to help us avoid the biases, superficiality, and extremism brought about by binary thinking.
Here are three key points:
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Openness and Inclusivity
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Selective Acceptance
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Scientific Spirit
1. Openness and Inclusivity#
In today's rapidly changing world, we need to maintain an open mindset and be receptive to new things and new ideas. In the process of openness and inclusivity, we will also constantly receive new inputs of energy, allowing our lives to evolve in a meaningful way and expanding the field of our lives.
In the process of continuously accepting new cultures, methods, and thoughts, we will also analyze the problems and things we face from more perspectives, resulting in more diverse and multi-level interpretations, avoiding falling into binary thinking and extreme views.
2. Selective Acceptance#
Of course, there are too many things emerging today, and countless new things are born every day. How do we choose what we want in such a complex collection? I think it is necessary to set some standards for judgment, such as: long-term positive effects on humanity, beneficial to human goodness...
By selectively accepting concepts, methods, and tools, we also have the opportunity to construct and develop ourselves through continuous connections with new and fresh objects.
3. Scientific Spirit#
Although we want to be open to accepting more new things, we should also use scientific methods to verify them. Not everything is necessary, and not everything new is beneficial. We need to "boldly hypothesize and carefully verify," avoiding emotional and blind behavior.
Conclusion on Binary Thinking#
In this article, we discussed binary thinking, understood what it is, and analyzed the binary thinking present in everyday life. We then analyzed the reasons for the emergence of binary thinking from different perspectives and levels. Finally, we discussed how we should approach the existence of binary thinking. This is my exploration of binary thinking based on my daily thoughts. I hope it can provide clues for questioning from a personal perspective and stimulate your thinking. I believe that if each of us thinks more about our daily lives, our world will become brighter.
To-do List:
- Books:
- "The Light of Products" by Kevin
- "Manager@Advanced Practice of Internet Product Managers" by Yang Xiaoping
- "McKinsey Elite Efficient Reading Method" by Chiyu Yuzo
- "Work, Consumerism, and New Poor" by Zygmunt Bauman
- "The Rich" by Freeland
- "Product Gamification" by Amy Jo Kim
- "In-Depth Conversation - Zuo Hui"
- Movies/TV Shows:
- "Thirteen Invitations - Qian Liqun"
- "Our Planet" on Netflix
- "Way Out" by Zheng Qiong
- "New Things in the Forbidden City"
- "King of Summer"
- "12 Angry Men" by Nikita Mikhalkov
Twitter: Hoodrh