DICHOTOMY
Charles François (2004). DICHOTOMY, International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(1): 912.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 912 ▶ |
| Object type | Epistemology, ontology or semantics, Methodology or model |
The division of a class of objects or concepts in two mutually exclusive and generally opposite groups.
From a systemic viewpoint, this fundamental feature of classical logic should be used with care. The cases wherein only two clearcut opposite aspects do exist are quite exceptional. Dichotomies tend to arbitrarily reduce complexity in issues to oversimplified oppositions. Another caveat is that binary logic, whose dichotomic nature is obvious, tends to institutionalize such oversimplifications into the computational process, that may act as a straightjacket for model building.