Die Kultur der Ambiguität

All cultures must live with ambiguity. However, they differ in how they deal with it. Ambiguity is accepted, and at times it is even deliberately created, playing important cultural roles, such as in conventions of politeness and diplomacy, through rituals or artworks. It can also be avoided and combated. Thus, cultures differ in their varying tolerance for ambiguity. In Islamic cultures, a noticeable shift has been observed in this regard over the last few centuries, which is evident in such a clear and drastic manner that it is rarely seen elsewhere: from a relatively high tolerance to at times extreme intolerance towards all phenomena of multiplicity and plurality. For example, in the 14th century, the variations of the Quranic text and the multitude of interpretative possibilities were considered an enrichment.