Triangulation
Understanding abstract concepts is tricky. When someone says "creativity" or "justice" or "maturity," what do they mean?
If we try to pin it to a single definition, we either oversimplify or get stuck arguing about the "correct" meaning. As we saw with Words, language is slippery. Abstract concepts resist precise definition.
There is a possible approach - a technique - that may help the situation: Triangulation.
Physical Triangulation
The term Triangulation has a tradition that comes from navigation.
Here is how it works:
A hiker is lost in the mountains.
They can see three distinct landmarks:
- a radio tower in one direction
- a distinctive peak in another direction
- a lake in another direction
By describing each landmark and their relative positions, it allows anybody searching to narrow down their location.
No single landmark gives the exact position. But three landmarks approached from different angles can better triangulate the location.
Concept Triangulation
Abstract concepts can work the same way.
Consider something abstract like "creativity."
Someone says: "This project needs more creativity."
What does that mean? If you ask, they might say:
"You know — novelty, fresh connections, trying things that nobody has done, playful experimentation, generating new possibilities..."
They are not giving you a definition. They are giving you multiple terms that together triangulate what they mean by "creativity."
This is concept triangulation. No single term captures "creativity" completely, but multiple terms, thoughts, or phrases pointing from different angles reveal what the person means.
The Components
Triangulation has two parts:
An Anchor
The Anchor is the single term being used to point at the concept. In the example above, "creativity" is the Anchor.
The Anchor is personal and operational. It is the word someone uses when they need to name the thing. Different people might use different Anchors to point at similar territories, or the same Anchor to point at different territories.
Word Pointers
Word Pointers are the broader field of related terms that surround the Anchor. These are not necessarily synonyms (though they may be) — but they are different facets, aspects, or qualities that together triangulate what the Anchor means.
Word Pointers typically include:
- Related concepts and adjacent meanings
- Contextual associations
- Practical manifestations
- Qualities or characteristics
For "creativity," Word Pointers might include: novelty, originality, imagination, synthesis, connection, recombination, insight, improvisation, discovery, expression, experimentation, playfulness, vision, transformation, generation, innovation...
The Word Pointers create a field or region. The Anchor sits somewhere within that field, but no single Pointer captures the whole territory.
Overlap and Divergence
Different people can use the same Anchor but triangulate it differently with their Word Pointers.
Consider two people talking about "creativity":
Person A (designer): You know — novelty, fresh connections, trying things that nobody has done, playful experimentation, generating new possibilities..."
Person B (engineer): "You know — synthesis, taking existing elements and recombining them, finding unexpected solutions, making new connections between disparate ideas, innovation..."
Both are using "creativity" as their Anchor. Their Word Pointers overlap in some places (connections, novelty/new, generation) but diverge in emphasis. Person A is emphasizing expression and play; Person B is emphasizing recombination and problem-solving.
This should not be viewed as a failure of communication - the frequency of occurrence suggest a more practical view: perhaps it is a feature.
The overlap shows where understanding is shared. The divergence shows where clarification might be needed.
This is also what distinguishes Triangulation from a thesaurus. A thesaurus suggests a list of related words as interchangeable synonyms.
Triangulation treats them as different facets that together define a territory. The relationships between the Word Pointers matter.
Why This Helps
As described on the Words page, there is an old Zen proverb: "The finger pointing at the moon is not the moon."
The Anchor and Word Pointers are fingers pointing. They are not the concept itself — they are tools for orienting toward it.
Triangulation helps because:
- It avoids false precision. Pretending an abstract concept has one "correct" definition creates brittle understanding that breaks in context.
- It reveals emphasis. When someone triangulates a concept, their Word Pointers show what aspects they consider central.
- It enables clarification. When two people discover their Word Pointers diverge, they can talk about why rather than arguing about definitions.
- It preserves nuance. Complex concepts have multiple facets. Triangulation acknowledges this instead of collapsing it.
- It builds shared understanding. Even when people anchor or point differently, the overlapping Word Pointers reveal common ground.
Evolution Over Time
Both the Anchor and Word Pointers evolve as understanding deepens.
Initial Word Pointers might be fuzzy or incomplete. As someone works with a concept, they refine which terms feel central versus peripheral. They might discover that what seemed like one concept is actually two, or that two concepts are actually facets of one.
The Anchor might shift as well. Someone might start using "novelty" to point at a concept, then realize "generation" better captures what they mean, then later settle on "emergence."
This evolution is not a failure — it reflects genuine development in understanding. The territory has not changed, but the ability to navigate it has improved.
Practical Application
Triangulation is useful whenever abstract concepts are involved:
- In conversation: When someone uses an abstract term, ask what they mean by it. Their Word Pointers reveal their emphasis.
- In disagreement: Often people argue about definitions when they actually agree on the territory but are pointing at different parts of it. Triangulation surfaces this.
- In learning: When encountering a new concept, collect Word Pointers rather than seeking a single definition. The region defined by the Word Pointers builds understanding.
- In teaching: When explaining an abstract concept, use multiple Word Pointers from different angles rather than relying on a single definition.
- In clarification: When someone seems to misunderstand, compare Word Pointers. The divergence shows where the gap is.
The goal is not to eliminate ambiguity — abstract concepts are inherently ambiguous. The goal is to navigate that ambiguity honestly, building shared understanding even when perfect agreement is impossible.
As with Communication, the Feedback Loop is essential. Triangulation provides the structure for that feedback: shared Anchors with divergent Word Pointers create productive conversations about emphasis, not futile arguments about correctness.