Why do some people tend to look for grey areas instead of just choosing either b

1. 83

   AshutoshJoshi06posted 7 years ago

   Why do some people tend to look for grey areas instead of just choosing either black or white?

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2. 39

   ChristinSposted 7 years ago

   Looking at grey areas is a good way to be. It involves well-rounded, critical thinking and taking all possibilities into account.  Without grey area thinking, we might still believe silly things like the Earth is flat, or that we are the center of the universe .  Grey area thinking is evolved thinking - things are rarely black or white.

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      AshutoshJoshi06posted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Point taken. But I still feel that grey area logic may not necessarily fit in all situations.   There will be enough situations where you either have to be right or wrong unless you conviniently choose to stay neutral.
      Hope I make sense

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      dashingscorpioposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Actually for many situations in life it's not so much about "right" or "wrong' as it is "agree" or "disagree". When we perceive someone to be "wrong" most likely (they) believe they are "right". The truth  is usually somewhere in the middle.

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   fpherj48posted 7 years ago

   One way to look at what you are asking is to consider being open-minded.  If we took the time to explain the grey concept critically & in the most detail possible, logically speaking, that discussion may never end.
   Just using yourself as an example, try to recall a situation when you were attempting to make an extremely important decision.  Do you feel it may have been easier or more beneficial to have 2 choices and only 2?  Or does it make more sense to imagine several different (grey areas) possible scenarios to examine in your decision-making?
   Of course there are those times and those individuals who really see everything in either black or white.  And there's plenty that factually IS an either/or situation.  People who are rigid to such a degree the majority of the time. are often denying other possibilities and perhaps missing out on opportunities to make better decisions.  This can be said to be a stubbornness in people to their own disadvantage. 
   Humans are not programmed robots but thinking, logical and diverse beings.  It's a matter of having a handle on "balance," in our lives, IMHO.
   A little leeway and free-thinking never hurts!.....
   Interesting question!

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4. 83

   tsmogposted 7 years ago

   With what circumstances or specifics? I both don't think and feel there is an easy answer to this question. It varies with a myriad of intensities. If you were to ask me what is the torque for tightening a bolt I would say the spec. That is a black and white response. Another is if you asked what is the speed limit I would say what is posted. In both cases there would be something that is correct or incorrect. I choose those words vs. right or wrong because the later in my view regard morality. That may be where the grey area enters the dialogue. A quirk of mine . . . yet, it helps explain my view regard black/white thinking contrast grey. That of course is to 'presume' what the question alludes toward.

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   WordCrafter09posted 7 years ago

   Some things ARE black or white.  Some things aren't.  I don't think it's always that someone looks for grey areas.  Some people just see enough of the picture to see them.  One problem with grey areas that a) are there, and b) are seen by the person who aims to address them and/or something related to them, is that seeing grey areas often means having to think out how to address them; and much of the time people are either too lazy, too egocentric, too inadequately informed and/or just to unable to find a black/white solution/resolution to a grey area that is going to remain grey for any number of reasons.
   
   Often, too, it's not that someone "looks for grey areas" (although sometimes it is).  Often, it's that someone wants/need to remain stuck in black/white thinking, not because there is a black/white/correct/incorrect fact at stake, but because if they even imagine that the matter is not as simple and black/white as they incorrectly believe then they have to face the reality of either being wrong about something or else realizing that there is no easy solution/resolution. 
   
   Either way, a comfortable ego (and sometimes overblown one) gets shaken up and made far less comfortable.
   
   I think most people want to recognize that not all things involve black/white, never-going-to-be-different, facts/answers.  The problem is that on any given thing people may either not see the big enough or small enough picture (and may not even realize that they're not, just because they don't know that they need to (or don't think it's worth improving on).
   
   As a result, people often think what is a grey area isn't really a grey area at all; so I think a big problem is whether someone is looking for grey areas or whether they happen to just see them, but also whether they want to bother, or know enough to, learn more facts and either clear up the grey or live with not having the black/white answer that would make them more comfortable.
   
   Some areas of "no-black/white-answer" are fine to leave grey.  Some are not.

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6. 88

   nochanceposted 7 years ago

   Nothing is black or white. Everything is shades of gray.

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   bradmasterOCcalposted 7 years ago

   Life is mostly grey areas, and black or white are extremes.

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      AshutoshJoshi06posted 7 years agoin reply to this

      True that, seems m changing perspective

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   Setank Setunkposted 7 years ago

   In the tradition of Plato's Socrates and maybe Aristotle, I would point out that Black and White are polar opposites, Light and Dark, Right and Wrong, Good and Bad, and that this intransigence itself denies logic and reason. Grey on the other hand, in its many distinguishable shades is comprised of a blend of White and Black.
   I lean more toward the German Philosopher Johannes Blaskowitz ( A philosopher of sorts anyway) who said: "Better rashness than inertia..... Better a mistake than hesitation."
   Great question. This could go on for a long time.

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      AshutoshJoshi06posted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Haha. Actually its quite an interesting read. It gives you quite a lot of perspectives. Again choosing the right one can be tricky affair.

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      Setank Setunkposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Counter perspective: Gray is the superfluousness of human rational. It distracts from our Black and White nature giving rise to vacillation in decision making.

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9. 79

   dashingscorpioposted 7 years ago

   
   
   Some people feel very strongly about certain things and maybe they're "emotionally invested" or so entrenched they're unwilling to look at all the aspects of an issue before making a decision.
   For example in politics I've known people who hated George W. Bush or Barack Obama so much that according to them {everything} that came out of their mouth was a lie or some mastermind attempt to destroy America.
   People who feel that strongly about anything hear what they want to hear and believe what they want to believe.
   They have no interest in researching or verifying what was said.
   It's not uncommon for them to resort to "name calling" or insults when others don't share their opinion.
   You're "stupid" if you disagree with them and will be forever labeled.
   They refuse to acknowledge any common ground on other issues.
   It's a take no prisoners mentality: All or nothing mindset.
   Black and white responses are our automatic knee jerk reaction to things when we first learn of them. That's very normal!
   However with age comes maturity and wisdom hopefully.
   Eventually we learn to gather more facts before jumping in or at the very least consider more possibilities/sides of an issue.
   When we're young we're prone to going in half-cocked instantly.

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      AshutoshJoshi06posted 7 years agoin reply to this

      So essentially what you mean is grey areas are normal but black or white is either out of association or delusion?

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      WordCrafter09posted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Sometimes "emotionally invested" means, "There is no way I'm going to let 'the-likes-you' be right and me be wrong or come out knowing less than you" (so they either dig in heels or at least least call it "a grey area" when it just is not.

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   3. 79

      dashingscorpioposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      That's very true! Ego is a powerful driving force!
      No one wants to "lose", "be sold/persuaded to change', or " be wrong"
      Some folks would rather stick fingers in their ears and sing loudly than to listen to other people's opinions! LOL!

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10. 91

    WiccanSageposted 7 years ago

    I don't think we live in a black and white world at all. Even though there are some extreme issues people generally agree on (ie, murder is wrong, rescuing orphans from a fire is good), it's not usually that clear-cut.
    
    People's perspectives on different issues can vary depending on their own interpretations and feelings about the issue. There are usually at least two (if not more) sides to every story.
    
    Seeing shades of gray doesn't mean you need to stay neutral or ignore the extremes; it simply means that you're willing to consider all circumstances involved and look at a complex issue more objectively, rather than jumping to arbitrary judgement. Responsibility is ascribed by degree rather than 'all or nothing'.
    
    I think black/white thinking is dangerous, since people often believe they are in the right, or that 'right' is whatever is in their best interests. Black/white thinking leads to people being stubborn, extremist, judgmental and unable to compromise. It leads to unfair treatment of others and a shallow (often prejudiced) understanding of issues.
    
    I would rather live in a world where people can use reason in a more complex manner than a world in which people try to sort everything into the 'right' or 'wrong' categories that they don't even realize/want to admit are just things people created.

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11. 85

    Au faitposted 7 years ago

    Very few things in this world are entirely black or entirely white.  Most things are grey.  In other words the truth is somewhere in the middle. 
    
    You can listen to conservative TV news or liberal TV news, and I recommend listening to both.  That is because both are going to sway their report according to their own agenda and so the truth is usually somewhere in the middle, neither completely as viewed (interpreted) by liberals or as completely viewed (interpreted) by conservatives.
    
    Very few things are all bad or all good.  Almost everything in this world has advantages and disadvantages.  One has to determine which disadvantages they can live with the easiest and go with that solution that in their view has the fewest disadvantages.
    
    Grey alludes to compromise.  Neither party in a dispute gets all they want.  They must compromise to settle the dispute and that sometimes means having to take some not so good along with the better or best.
    
    Grey area generally means a situation or solution is neither ideal nor all bad.  Given all the different variations and options available for almost everything in this world, very few are all pro or all con, all white or all black, all black or all white.  If they are a mix of black and white, good and bad, then they are grey. 
    
    It is rare for anything to be all ideal.  There are usually a few disadvantages included in everything. 
    
    If one is actively looking for grey area it's usually because they're looking for a compromise that will satisfy everyone.  Not thrill everyone, because compromise rarely does that, but resolve an issue tolerably well to the acceptance of all the parties involved.
    
    Math is often right or wrong, objective rather than subjective like opinion.  But there are instances when even math may be a grey area.  It often depends on where the numbers come from in the first place.
    
    Most things are not either right or wrong.  They may seem that way to you, but someone else may have a different take.  Sometimes someone is neither right nor wrong, but simply different.  There's more than one way to skin a cat, and everyone has their favorite.  There's more than one road (most of the time) to get to the same location.  Which road is better is often a matter of opinion, not fact.

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    tamarawilhiteposted 7 years ago

    1. Saying you don't know or picking a middling point lets you avoid giving an answer that will be seen as wrong by others.
    2. If you can find a gray hypothetical, you can argue a morality that is otherwise contradictory to approved norms. This can be a starting point to arguing why immoral should be OK.
    3. To annoy the people who want a straight yes/no answer.

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       WiccanSageposted 7 years agoin reply to this

       moral norms were approved by people arguing over them and coming to agreements. Why should we not continue to examine, question and shift from them? Societies/cultures have never been static.

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    frumpletonposted 7 years ago

    I think those who choose grey instead of black and white aren't extremists, by nature.  They balance (or try to) weigh the pros and cons of a situation.  They want to be fair and not blindly follow a path just because that path has been followed many times before.

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