From Duality to Infinite Perspectives: How to See the Full Sphere of Truth
Beyond duality lies an infinite sphere of truth. Learn to hold multiple perspectives without losing your center.
In a world divided by opinion, politics, and personal experience, we tend to treat our truth as the truth.
But what if every truth was just one facet of a much larger whole — a whole so big, you could spend a lifetime walking around it without ever seeing every side?
This is the idea behind the Sphere of Truth: a mental model for escaping binary thinking, embracing complexity, and learning how to hold multiple perspectives without losing clarity.
In this post, we’ll explore:
- What the Sphere of Truth is and how it works
- Why proximity affects how much we value different truths
- Why duality thinking feels so natural — and so limiting
- How to use the Sphere-Walking Ladder to move from “either/or” to “yes, and”
- Practical ways to apply this thinking in your personal and professional life
The Sphere of Truth: A Metaphor for Infinite Perspectives
Imagine reality as a perfect sphere.
Each “truth” is a facet — not a flat polygon, but a conceptual angle you can look from.
The more facets you see, the more complete your picture becomes — but no single facet is the sphere.
Key points:
- Every truth is partial. Even if it feels complete, it’s just one side of the whole.
- The sphere has infinite facets. You can always find a new perspective if you keep looking.
- Your position shapes what you see. Two people can look at the same sphere from different angles and be convinced they’re looking at different objects entirely.
Example:
A woman diagnosed with Bipolar I undergoes a gut microbiome treatment and claims she’s cured. This is her truth. Critics argue she was never bipolar to begin with or that gut health can’t “cure” a psychiatric condition. Those are their truths. Each is a facet — none alone can explain the full reality.
The Proximity Principle: Why Nearby Facets Feel Truer
On our metaphorical sphere, two points close together influence each other strongly. The farther apart they are, the weaker the direct effect.
This is true in life:
- Geopolitics: The U.S. government affects the U.S. more than Middle Eastern policy does (most of the time). The Middle East is more affected by its own policies and those of neighboring countries.
- State Politics: California’s laws are shaped more by its own governance and neighboring states than by Georgia’s legislation.
- Personal Life: Your direct family has more day-to-day influence on you than strangers across the globe.
The closer a truth is to us — physically, culturally, emotionally — the more weight we give it.
The farther a truth is, the easier it is to dismiss it as irrelevant, wrong, or “not my problem.”
Why Duality Thinking Is So Sticky
Duality thinking — the “this OR that” mindset — is the default for a reason:
- Cognitive closure feels good. Once we land on a satisfying conclusion, our brains stop searching.
- Proximity bias locks us in. We trust the nearest truths and reject faraway ones.
- It’s fast and efficient. Holding multiple perspectives takes mental effort, so our minds cut corners.
In other words, duality is a shortcut — and like most shortcuts, it skips important parts of the terrain.
The Problem With Jumping From Facet #2 to Facet #∞
If someone’s only ever seen two facets — their own and an opposing one — and you try to take them straight to infinite perspectives, they’ll resist.
Why? Because you’re asking them to make a leap their nervous system isn’t ready for.
Instead, the key is facet bridging — moving step-by-step from the familiar to the unfamiliar so they can see how each truth connects.
The Sphere-Walking Ladder: A Step-by-Step Guide to Expanding Perspective
This is a practical framework for guiding someone (or yourself) from duality thinking toward multi-faceted, systemic awareness — without overwhelming them.
Step 1 — Anchor in the Familiar (Facet 1)
Start where they are.
Acknowledge their truth without trying to replace it.
“Yes, local crime has gone up — that’s something everyone here notices.”
Step 2 — Introduce an Adjacent Facet
Bring in the closest, least threatening related truth.
“Interestingly, the next city over saw a similar increase last year.”
Step 3 — Reveal a Pattern Between Two Facets
Show connection without forcing a conclusion.
“It’s strange — both cities made the same budget cuts before that change happened.”
Step 4 — Step to the Neighbor’s Neighbor
Move one hop further — still connected, but less familiar.
“Other cities across the state with those same budget cuts also saw similar results.”
Step 5 — Expand the Container
Introduce the idea that local is part of regional, which is part of national.
“When you zoom out to a national level, you can see the same pattern in certain states.”
Step 6 — Show a Faraway Facet With a Thread Back
Bring in something distant, then trace how it affects them.
“Federal policy changes two years ago created the budget cuts that trickled down to us.”
Step 7 — Hold Multiple Facets in Play
List several truths without ranking them.
“It’s true that local choices matter, state budgets matter, and federal funding matters — they’re all shaping what we see.”
Step 8 — Normalize Infinite Facets
Remind them there’s always another perspective left unseen.
“Anytime we think we’ve seen the whole picture, it’s worth remembering there’s another side we haven’t looked at yet.”
Techniques for Walking the Ladder
- Use “and” more than “but” to keep truths additive.
- Slow the pace to let new connections settle.
- Ask questions that invite discovery: “What do you think could cause both cities to have the same outcome?”
Real-World Applications
In Personal Relationships
Instead of arguing over who’s “right,” explore adjacent facets together. This reduces defensiveness and strengthens empathy.
In Leadership
When introducing change, connect it step-by-step to the team’s current reality. Leaders who jump too far ahead lose buy-in.
In Media Literacy
Recognize that every story you read is a facet. Seek adjacent facets before deciding where you stand.
Why This Matters Now
In a hyperconnected world, we’re bombarded with more truths than ever — but also more temptation to collapse them into simple binaries.
The Sphere of Truth model isn’t just a philosophical exercise; it’s a survival skill for a complex age.
Walking the sphere, facet by facet, doesn’t mean you’ll see every truth. But it guarantees you’ll see more than you would have if you stopped at the first satisfying conclusion.
And the more perspectives you integrate, the more immune you become to polarization, manipulation, and the illusion that your truth is the whole truth.
Final Thought:
The goal isn’t to abandon your truth — it’s to set it in a constellation of other truths so you can see the full shape of reality. The sphere is infinite. Start walking.