The problematic allure of the binary in nursing theoretical discourse.

Recent ideological positioning on the world stage has borne a startling resemblance to a form of positioning within nursing theory--that of taking complex ideas, reducing them to a simplistic binary form, and uncritically adopting one half of that form. In some cases, this adoption of a binary position has led to a passionately held form of "othering" that prohibits a healthy and critical engagement with ideas. As alluring as settling for the binary form may be--we argue for holding binaries in tension as a catalyst for stimulating dialogue--reasoning and exploration of new ways of wrestling with the social and moral complexity of nursing.