Binary Framing
Scoring Pattern
either/or + us/them + no middle ground→forced binary choice
Definition
A measure of how frequently a text presents complex issues as having only two sides — us/them, right/wrong, good/bad, either/or. Binary framing simplifies the moral landscape into categories: you are either with us or against us. Score 0 means nuanced throughout; score 5 means the text exists entirely in binaries. Binary framing is the structural foundation of sermonic persuasion because it eliminates the middle ground where resistance lives.
Examples
Example 1
You're either part of the solution or part of the problem. There is no middle ground.
The classic binary: two options, no middle position. The second sentence explicitly eliminates the escape route that readers naturally seek.
Example 2
There are those who act and those who watch. Which side of history will you be on?
Binary framing combined with a rhetorical question — the two categories are presented as exhaustive, and the question forces the reader to self-categorize.
Example 3
You can stand with the powerful or stand with the people. You cannot do both.
Political rhetoric pattern
The final sentence is the key — it anticipates and rejects the reader's attempt to find a third option, sealing the binary.
AI Detection Note
AI generally avoids strong binary framing because it is trained to present multiple perspectives. When AI does produce binary structures, it typically immediately qualifies them ('While it may seem like an either/or situation, the reality is more nuanced'). Sustained, unqualified binary framing across a passage is a reliable marker of human sermonic writing.
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