Endnotes

The reader may find additional insights in the references that follow.

Choice

Humans like the idea of two, so that they can go on the quest for the singular ... but then they flip to the other one

Dilemma for humans is the choice between two.

At S3, they hated introducing the third, which creates a mess.

Dichotomy, can look at the OED for two-isms. So implicit that people don't like raising it. Complexity is someone adding a third.

Choice is a false choice. Bateson then helped in the difference that makes a difference, which rises above the two. The dichotomoy is then two different things that really aren't different, and don't make a difference.

Warfare starts on trivial choices.

Greek philosophers may not have worried about the choice of two. Chinese philosophers maybe see this better.

West Churchman also like both plus more. In the Methods of Inquiry seminar, Churchman was on empiricism versus rationalism. 515 pages in the book is between the two. Only in brief periods where empiricism and rationalism put together, and they had huge progress. In the seminar, then DLH said that there must be more. Churchman was happy with this, Ackoff wasn't.

People who use four categories are in the dichotomy world, then can't get out of it. Churchman was into odd numbers. Ackoff liked evens. Inactive, reactive, preactive as 3, plus one (interactive)