Tertium Quid (Noun)
Meaning
Some third thing similar to two opposites but distinct from both.
Classification
Nouns denoting relations between people or things or ideas.
Examples
- Environmentalism and industrialization are often presented as mutually exclusive, but a sustainable economy could be the tertium quid that reconciles the two.
- The tertium quid between open and closed systems, which allows some foreign influence but still maintains internal order, is hard to maintain.
- Liberalism and totalitarianism may seem like the only options, but a tertium quid that allows for both freedom and order is possible in the correct context.
- Individualism and collectivism are usually seen as opposing viewpoints, but some societal systems can incorporate both as part of a tertium quid.
- The tertium quid of these differing human experiences often blurs into a distinct culture, which balances different parts and yet doesn't necessarily reduce to them.