Our world rests on a razor’s edge, as we continually feel pulled in opposing directions, whether by everyday concerns or global challenges. Do we focus on the needs of today or tomorrow, of ourselves or others, of stability or change? Competing demands surround us. Yet lurking within these dilemmas are paradoxes—contradictory, yet interdependent tensions. To effectively respond, we first must understand more about the nature of paradoxes.

For millennia, paradoxes have energized and mystified philosophers, scientists, and psychologists. These contradictory yet interdependent tensions are double-edged swords. They contain possibilities for novel, creative, and lasting insights. Yet they also trigger tremendous frustration. Overwhelmed by their irrationality and absurdity, we can find ourselves down a dead-end path. In this part of the book, we explore the foundations of both/and thinking. Embracing tensions requires a deeper understanding of paradoxes; both the good and the bad, the valuable and the challenging. We examine definitions, characteristics, and types of paradoxes. We offer warnings about what can get us stuck and headed toward a vicious cycle. These foundations allow us to “stand on the shoulders of giants,” benefiting from more than twenty-five hundred years of insights to inform how we can best navigate paradoxes today.