Broad but Not Partial
Updated 2026-08-10
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
Broad but not partial comes from the Analects, which says the noble person is broad in association with all yet forms no faction, while the petty person forms factions yet is not broad. As a professional model it distinguishes two shapes of connection: a wide network that carries diverse information outward, and a small in-group bound by mutual favoritism. Its core proposition is that broad association increases the information a person can draw on, while faction reduces it. The key qualification is that breadth must remain principled, not opportunistic friendliness.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Use wide tie: build relationships across teams and views rather than only with your own circle. - Use clique audit: check whether the people you rely on all share the same opinion. - Use favoritism guard: refuse to trade information or favors solely on the basis of faction loyalty.
Anchor fast decisions
A clique narrows what its members hear, because every member is filtering news for the group's comfort, and the same agreed view gets repeated until it looks like fact. A wide tie to people outside the circle breaks the loop by carrying in news the group would never have generated. The mechanism is information, not virtue: the person connected broadly simply sees more of the board than the person aligned to a faction.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- zh.wikisource.orghttps://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E8%AB%96%E8%AA%9E/%E7%88%B2%E6%94%BF%E7%AC%AC%E4%BA%8Cverified
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