Types of Ambiguity

Abstract

Trying to encapsulate and define ambiguity is difficult. As noted in Chapter 2, ambiguity is itself ambiguous by its very nature. One reason for this is that the experience of ambiguity is a fairly subjective one and consequently does not affect everyone in the same way. Indeed, in the next chapter, while exploring individual responses to ambiguity, we note that some people are fully aware of a particular ambiguity while others are totally unaware of the existence of that ambiguity. As we have seen in the previous chapter, simply defining and hence recognizing an ambiguity is paradigm-dependent, by which I mean that where an engineer might see uncertainty and a lack of data, a moral philosopher may see a clash of values — the thinking system is different in each case. In this and the following chapter, ambiguity and people’s responses to it are explored. Part of that exploration is to examine the structures or lack of structure in a variety of ambiguous situations. The attributes of each of the following types of ambiguity need to be explored:

• 1 Paradox/contradiction

• 2 Double bind

• 3 Chaos/randomness

• 4 Complexity

• 5 Dilemmas — moral, ethical, and personal

• 6 Cognitive and emotional dissonance

The awareness of the ambiguity of one’s highest achievements (as well as one’s deepest failures) is a definite symptom of maturity.

Paul Tillich, German theologian (1886–1965)