The World Is Grey: The Folly of Thinking in Black and White

We humans like to categorize the world into neatly demarcated buckets because it helps us to make sense of and navigate it.

Simplifying can help us avoid analysis paralysis and make fast decisions — but doing so is not without its costs.

The problem with seeing things in black and white, or red and blue, or whatever opposing color combination you can think of, is that it inhibits our ability to see nuance.

Seeing things in a binary way can inhibit our ability to engage in discourse, innovate and ultimately divides us.

Exceptions to Every Rule

Whatever the so-called rule, there is usually a set of very specific circumstances under which the rule holds true, and an extensive list of circumstances under which it becomes redundant.

If I’m starting a new business, I might want to rapidly test the assumptions that underpin my idea with a low fidelity prototype in order to learn and iterate towards a product or business model that works.

This might work if I’m a B2C business with millions of potential customers, but if I’m targeting a B2B business targeting a tiny market of very particular, but big-spending customers, then this approach of offering up half-baked solutions to poorly…