When we feel "indifference" about two options before us, we refuse to make a distinction between them. It's a word that's often confused with "ambivalence"—but when we grasp the roots of these words, the distinction between them becomes clearer. To help us appreciate the linguistic and even moral contrast between "indifference" and "ambivalence," we turn to the psychologist and philosopher William James and his comments on saintly virtues in The Varieties of Religious Experience.

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Music: Adapted from Sonatine by Maurice Ravel, performed by Irene Posviatovska (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)

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