Dating has been confused over time.
Taking a girl out on a date (movies, restaurant, picnic) etc, means you're dating her. You don't know if "this is the one" so you date her to see if you're compatible, you like her, etc.
Putting too much emphasis on dating (must be exclusive) is why people end up in shit relationships. They don't play the field, they just latch on to one person, and if they feel that person isn't right for them, they have a hard time breaking up. And a lot of people just settle because they've invested so much time in the relationship.
If you date a bunch of girls at the same time (like not literally at the same time, but on different days), you've got grounds for comparison, and you're not taking it too seriously. Once you start to get really serious with one girl, that's when you go exclusive, to show her you are serious.
"Dating" is just going out with a girl. When you get serious, the old fashion term used to be "going steady".
America used to follow this approach too. Now everyone takes shit too seriously.