by Life is tiring fourty one June 21, 2021
Get the riviera middle mug.The radical principle that for any proposition, it can be both true and false at the same time, directly challenging Aristotle's law of excluded middle (which says a proposition must be either true or false). The law of the included middle acknowledges that reality is often contradictory, that systems can be both functional and broken, that people can love you and hurt you, and that a statement can be accurate in some contexts and false in others. This principle is essential for understanding complex systems, human relationships, and your feelings about your ex—simultaneously the best and worst person you've ever met. The law of the included middle doesn't reject logic; it expands it to handle the beautiful messiness of existence.
Example: "She applied the law of the included middle to her relationship status. 'I'm both happy and miserable,' she said. 'My partner is both wonderful and infuriating. Our relationship is both working and failing.' Her friend said that was impossible. She said that was life. The contradiction didn't need resolution; it needed acceptance. The relationship continued, contradictory and real."
by Dumu The Void February 15, 2026
Get the Law of the Included Middle mug.The principle that between any two opposing propositions, there exists not just a middle ground but an infinite spectrum of possibilities, challenging the law of excluded middle which insists on binary choice. The law of the possible middle recognizes that true/false, good/bad, right/wrong are rarely adequate categories for a complex world. Between "you always listen" and "you never listen" lies "you listen sometimes, in certain contexts, about certain topics, when you're not distracted." Between capitalism and communism lie approximately 47 varieties of mixed economy. The law of the possible middle is the enemy of polarization, the friend of nuance, and the reason why "both sides" arguments are usually oversimplifications.
Example: "In the debate, he tried to force a binary: either you support free speech absolutely, or you're a censor. She invoked the law of the possible middle: 'There's a spectrum between absolute protection and absolute restriction—time, place, and manner regulations, harassment exceptions, corporate platforms versus public forums. The middle isn't one point; it's infinite possibilities.' He said she was avoiding the question. She said she was answering it accurately, which required more than two options."
by Dumu The Void February 15, 2026
Get the Law of the Possible Middle mug.The spectral extension of the law of the included middle, proposing that between any two propositions exists not just the possibility of both being true, but an infinite spectrum of truth-values that participate in both while being reducible to neither. Under this law, the middle isn't a point—it's a continuum, a space where truth and falsehood blend, where propositions can be 30% true and 70% false in one dimension while being the reverse in another. The spectral law of the included middle is the logic of "it's complicated," of "yes and no simultaneously but to different degrees," of the recognition that most important questions don't have binary answers—they have spectral ones.
Example: "He asked if she loved him. She couldn't say yes or no—she loved him in some ways, not in others, sometimes, conditionally, partially. The spectral law of the included middle gave her language for this: 'I'm on the spectrum of love,' she said. 'High on affection, medium on trust, low on patience. The middle isn't one point; it's where I live.' He didn't love the answer, but he couldn't call it dishonest."
by AbzuInExile February 16, 2026
Get the Spectral Law of the Included Middle mug.The principle that between any two opposing truth claims lies not just a middle ground but an infinite spectrum of possible truths that participate in both sides while being reducible to neither. Under this law, the middle isn't a compromise position—it's a vast territory of possibilities. Between "he loves me" and "he loves me not" lies not just "he loves me sometimes" but infinite variations: loves me in some ways, not in others; loves me conditionally; loves the idea of me; loves me but can't show it; loves me and also loves someone else; loves me in a way I don't recognize. The possible middle truth is where most of life actually happens—the binary poles are just the distant edges of a vast spectrum.
Example: "She asked if her job was fulfilling. Binary truth said yes or no. The law of the possible middle truth opened infinity: fulfilling in some moments, draining in others; fulfilling the mission, not the paycheck; fulfilling her skills, not her soul; fulfilling compared to past jobs, not compared to dreams. The truth was in the possible middle, not the poles. She stopped asking yes/no and started mapping the spectrum."
by AbzuInExile February 16, 2026
Get the Law of the Possible Middle Truth mug.