The Concept of the Continuum

The continuum is a range, series, or spectrum that gradually changes from one point to another but with distinctly defined extremes. For example, it’s difficult to define when a dialect becomes a separate language, but the difference between it and English is very noticeable.

The concept of the continuum is often used in discussions of societal issues, such as gender, social stratification, and crime. For example, some people argue that caste and class systems of stratification are opposite, extreme points on a continuum in terms of ease of mobility between achieved and ascribed status, the relative importance of earned versus ascribed prestige, and the extent to which each system restricts interaction among members of lower vs. higher social standings.

Likewise, many of us understand that individual crimes and global wars are both ends of the same continuum in terms of the degree to which violence can be justified. However, it’s important to note that the continuum also applies in less obvious ways. For example, even if we all agree that the prosthetics space is moving in the right direction, it’s not yet clear where the technology fits on a broad continuum of advancement. the continuum