Inconsistency: The good, the bad, and the ugly

Inconsistency is commonplace in the real world and is an accepted part of life. Inconsistency is a multi-dimensional issue that includes: causes, types, interpretations, circumstances, desirability, detection approaches, handling strategies, and significance measures. In this paper, we focus our attention on the desirability dimension for inconsistency. It turns out that not all inconsistencies are bad, some are even desirable. We summarize three lists of inconsistent cases in terms of their desirability using the metaphor of ldquothe good, the bad, and the ugly.rdquo We then offer some guidelines on how to discern the desirability of inconsistency. The results in the paper will help pave the way for developing some practical desirability measures for inconsistency.