Principlev1PR-666
Before attempting to resolve a contradiction, determine…
Before attempting to resolve a contradiction, determine whether additional information could produce a stable answer—if not, you face a polarity requiring management rather than a problem requiring solution.
Why This Is a Principle
This is Johnson's diagnostic question formalized as a principle. It derives from Human values are incommensurable—they cannot be measured… (value incommensurability means some tensions can't be resolved) and Mental Models Are Singular by Default (people construct single mental models without generating alternatives). It prescribes a classification procedure before applying resolution strategies.