The Concept of the Continuum
From time to time, we run into the idea of the continuum, a range or spectrum where no one point is clearly distinct from the next, but which does have some distinctly defined extremes. In relativity theory, the past, present, and future exist in a four-dimensional space-time continuum. In genetics, the concept of a biological species is based on a continuum of evolution.
Many of us think about a continuum when considering different styles of parenting, or the basic four types of parenting styles that tend to fall on a spectrum of heavy discipline to a more child centered approach. We also might consider a continuum when we decide how much life insurance to purchase and what policy options are available.
What makes the notion of a continuum useful is that, in reality, everything exists along a continuum. Whether it’s musical styles, human life stages, or the severity of crimes and punishments, no one can really identify any specific endpoint as being “the” continuum. These examples are selected automatically from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘continuum.’ Send us feedback. the continuum