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
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