3 ms·

I find it rather disturbing (if not just cringeworthy) especially when the classification is vague enough that almost everyone can be classified into more than

I find it rather disturbing (if not just cringeworthy) especially when the classification is vague enough that almost everyone can be classified into more than 2 categories. I always have this feeling that if you classify yourself like "oh yeah I'm this kind of person" it'll harm you in one way or another. Yes sometimes these kinds of stuff could be fun and all, but still. Maybe it's just meaningless to classify. Maybe it's just me, idk.

stareatgoats 6y ago
As long as you realize that there are more ways than one to slice a cake then classifications are useful. The slicing is always(?) relative to some implicit or expressed goal, which may vary depending on circumstance. Generally, we as humans would not survive in our daily lives without our classifications. But it can also lead astray, for example when less important categorizations occupy a space that is better served by more comprehensive and valid (not to mention empirically supported) classifications. I would put the linked article in this category, to some extent. As for the problem of vagueness: classification that only contains mutually exclusive categories carry the least cognitive load, but this is seldom realistic especially when classifying human behavior. That said, properly classifying humans is messy, and also risky as human differences tend to trigger emotionally value-lade comparisons. It is a popular pastime, but usually leads to rot of some kind or other.