Hoodrh

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. Many issues and contradictions have become more severe. The clash and division between different social forces have become more serious. If we want to discuss this situation, there are undoubtedly many diverse reasons. However, the "strong binary opposition between different groups" is a fundamental reason. It is the strong binary thinking at the societal level that allows things to develop into a more confrontational stage and leads to the involvement of more unrelated individuals. Whether it is the two-party elections in the United States, the division among internet users in China, the wealth gap, or the conflicts between doctors and patients, the existence of binary thinking can be seen.

In this article, let's explore the related issues of binary thinking. First, let's 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 accepted and frequently used concept of black and white thinking. It is difficult to understand: while China advocates the middle way, the prevailing mindset in today's society is binary thinking. Binary thinking is extreme, where things are either black or white, and a person is either good or bad. This consciousness is not localized but deeply ingrained in the collective social consciousness. Let's take a look at several areas where we can find binary thinking.

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 political parties, the left-right divide in domestic politics, and so on. Besides these surface-level phenomena, let's explore where binary thinking operates at a deeper level.

1. Education#

I believe that many problems stem from 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 ideas and abilities is the result of education, including education from others and self-education. The prevailing binary orientation in our society arises from the individual's educational process. This tendency is not an individual's internal awakening but the result of influence and guidance.

From a 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 going well, it is bad." Growing up in such an atmosphere and environment, individuals 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 leaning towards extremes, which has a detrimental impact on their lives and well-being. It is also highly detrimental to the safety and stability of society as a whole.

2. Business#

In the business world, there is also a strong binary thinking atmosphere. In this section, let's mainly discuss the comprehensive entity formed by elements such as work and transactions in the business field.

Almost everyone engages in transactions with others at some point, and in this process, we all want to maximize our own interests. 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 individuals believe 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, where individuals believe that the part they are clinging to in this interest is the balance's fulcrum, and any slight mistake will lead to complete destruction.

In the business environment, people's emotions and desires are more nakedly displayed and amplified. The reason for such intense display is largely due to people's binary thinking, which leads to the emergence of extreme situations.

3. Ideology#

Whether it is the education-related issues we mentioned earlier or the business-related issues, it ultimately boils down to ideological issues at the societal level because the underlying consciousness gives rise to various manifestations in society.

The societal level's sense of right and wrong is binary, and the values are in binary opposition. Whether it is judging something or someone, it is always about success versus failure, good versus bad. Under this binary opposition, the perspective of viewing the world becomes singular and superficial. So where does this binary thinking come from, and how has it developed to such a profound influence on society?

How Does Binary Thinking Form?#

Since binary thinking is so prevalent in society, what are the reasons behind its formation? The formation of such a societal consciousness is not the result of a single element but can be explored from two perspectives or levels.

Individual Level#

At the individual level, we need to understand how binary thinking has played a role in the process of human survival, leading to its deep-rootedness 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 favorable for their survival in that instant, they often leave behind the most important options. It's a matter of life or death. Therefore, in the process of evolution over tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years, individuals have gradually developed a set of practical decision-making patterns. This decision-making pattern allows for quick assessment of the situation and provides answers, and it is primarily based on binary thinking.

Societal Level#

At the societal level, the widespread binary consciousness is formed by looking 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 the "relationships between individuals." We have already mentioned the 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 among individuals in the network of relationships generates many binary opposition emotions and value orientations, contributing to the birth of binary thinking. On the other hand, the operation of the entire interpersonal network consumes a significant amount of societal energy. To reduce energy consumption during the operation, interference factors are minimized, resulting in the formation of binary 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 scope and stage. But with the diversification and complexity of societal information, the binary approach is no longer sufficient to solve 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 different concepts and methods to help us avoid the biases, superficiality, and extremism brought about by binary thinking.

Here are three key points:

1. Openness and Inclusivity

2. Selective Acceptance

3. Scientific Spirit

1. Openness and Inclusivity#

In the 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 continuously gain 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 ideas, we will also analyze the problems and things we face from multiple perspectives, resulting in more diverse and multi-level interpretations. This helps us avoid falling into binary thinking and prevents us from falling into the extremes of black and white.

2. Selective Acceptance#

Of course, with so many things emerging and countless new things being born every day, how do we choose what we want in such a complex collection? I believe it is necessary to set some criteria for judgment, such as long-term positive effects on humanity, beneficial to the goodness of human nature, etc.

By selectively accepting certain ideas, methods, and tools, we also have the opportunity for self-construction and self-development as we establish connections with new and fresh objects.

3. Scientific Spirit#

Although we want to be open to accepting 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 cautiously verify" to avoid emotional and blind behavior.

Conclusion on Binary Thinking#

In this article, we discussed binary thinking, understood what it is, and analyzed the hierarchical aspects of binary thinking in everyday life. We then analyzed the reasons for the emergence of binary thinking from different perspectives. Finally, we discussed how we should approach the existence of binary thinking. This is my reflection on binary thinking from my daily thoughts. I hope it can provide clues for personal questioning and stimulate your thinking. I believe that if each of us thinks more about our daily lives, our world will become brighter.

Reading List:

• Books:
  • "The Light of Products" by Kevin
  • "Manager@Advanced Practice of Internet Product Manager" by Yang Xiaoping
  • "McKinsey Elite Efficient Reading Method" by Chiyu Yuh
  • "Work, Consumerism, and the New Poor" by Zygmunt Bauman
  • "The Rich" by Freeland
  • "Product Gamification" by Amy Jo Kim
  • "In-Depth Conversation - Zuo Hui"
• Films:
  • "Thirteen Invitations - Qian Liqun"
  • "Our Planet" (Netflix)
  • "The Way Out" by Zheng Qiong
  • "New Things in the Forbidden City"
  • "King of Summer"
  • "12 Angry Men" by Nikita Mikhalkov

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