Perspectives

[Cognisant]

Which of the following best suits you?
Feel free to discuss what each means and develop it's definition.

Optimistic Idealism
The glass is half full.

Optimistic Realism
The glass is only half empty.

Pessimistic Idealism
The glass is only half full.

Pessimistic Realism
The glass is half empty.

 

[Anthile]

Pragmatic Idealist.

 

[Da Blob]

We are Doomed! AS Technology advances the human heart recedes

 

[Cogwulf]

I've always thought optimist pessimist and realist to be mutually exclusive, i.e. realist being a distinct in between, not on a separate axis.

The optimist thinks the realist is a pessimist, and thinks the pessimist depressed.
The pessimist thinks the realist is a pessimist in denial, and wishes the optimist would just go away.
The realist thinks the optimist doesn't understand life, and that the pessimist thinks about it too much.

 

[The Frood]

^ my senitments exactly

despite being labeled a pessimist by my optimisticly prone peers, I've always considered my self an objective realist.

btw, the glass is neither half empty or half full, it is simply half a glass.

 

[Reverse Transcriptase]

The engineer says: The glass is twice the size it should be.

(I think my right-brain is optimistic idealist and my left-brain is realist. I voted optimistic idealist, but the left-brain is a PARTY POOPER)

 

[Polaris]

I think my 'evolution' has been optimistic realist- optimistic idealist-pessimistic idealist-pessimistic realist, and finally back to optimistic realist. Unless the liberals win the next election, of course.......... (and 'liberal' here at the moment, is pretty extreme).

 

[flow]

I think I'll forever be an optimistic idealist. It's just more fun.

 

[jhbowden]

I'm a pessimistic realist -- in the long run, we're all skeletons.

 

[Kuu]

Fuck the glass! *drinks it, smashes it against the wall and dances on the table*

*rides to the moon atop his trusty elephant steed*



Apathetic Surrealist / I don't give much of a fuck, thank you very much for asking, and did I mention you look ravishing on that dress, Ore-chan?

 

[Darby]

to the glass question I always said that if someone were drinking it, it would be half empty, if someone were filling it, half full, and if I walked in not knowing either, I think I would probably say half full, but it's never happened, besides, if it's water I may be biased towards full, while with say..soda, I would be biased towards empty

 

[Cognisant]

I was at work the other day when someone complained to me about something and I (quite cheerily) replied, "Well it could always be worse" which I think they found a little disconcerting.

So I've been thinking about how people can be realistic/cynical and yet cheerful/optimistic at the same time, or maybe that's just me.

 

[KazeCraven]

I tend to do that whenever people complain about something that really can't be helped or is blown out of proportion, though more often I just ignore when possible.

That is kind of an odd case for the optimism/pessimism dichotomy. But that doesn't seem to really fall into either, it seems more like it's just a way of saying, "Sorry, your problem isn't bad enough for you to be complaining." Actually no, nevermind. It's also saying, "But look on the bright side, your misfortune is almost silly in magnitude. Cheer up!"

No wait. Even better, it depends on the context and how one says it. You could use that statement realistically or optimistically. Then again I might just be looking too much into that statement.

 

[Deleted member 1424]

I voted for optimistic idealist, but in a lot of ways I'm all four.

 

[cuterebra]

I picked optimistic realist, but I say the glass is FULL.

Half water, half air.

 

[echoplex]

Optimistic Realist

Life sucks, but at least it doesn't last forever (presumably). Plus, there are cookies and kittens occasionally, which can be nice.*

* Cookies will make you unhealthy. Kittens will scratch your face. These are facts.#

# At least kittens are cute. Imagine being scratched by a hideous beast.%

% Who is to say kittens aren't also hideous in their own way? Who decides what's cute?+

+ Look, just don't get a fucking kitten if it's such a problem.

^ Life, sort of.

 

[asdfasdfasdfsdf]

Which of the following best suits you?
Feel free to discuss what each means and develop it's definition.

Optimistic Idealism
The glass is half full.

Optimistic Realism
The glass is only half empty.

Pessimistic Idealism
The glass is only half full.

Pessimistic Realism
The glass is half empty.

all of these are true at the same time.. argh.
if they were mutually exclusive.. then i would be able to decide..

 

[Cogwulf]

to the glass question I always said that if someone were drinking it, it would be half empty, if someone were filling it, half full,

I was going to say that. Describing it like this makes it into a vector

 

[amorfati]

Optimistic idealist

I say that because I believe that there is beauty in everything, including all that is tragic, dark, and painful.

There has been war, genocide, plagues, etc. but life always goes on regardless. And if it's not preferable for life to go on for some people, there is our inevitable death waiting to liberate us. So it's win win for everyone.

 

[cuterebra]

P.S. Grats on post number 666, Cogwulf. Post of the beast!

 

[adso1980]

I'm such a pessimist I could win the lottery and I'd be complaining about the taxes I owe.

 

[Saoshyant]

I would consider myself an optimistic idealist, but I would love to be an optimistic realist one day.

 

[Beat Mango]

Pragmatic pessimist.

 

[Agent Intellect]

Pessimistic Idealist.

I spend a lot of time thinking about how to better the world, am in a constant state of 'self improvement', but I always know that none of it will ever come to fruition and that we are all doomed.

 

[Polaris]

Optimistic Realist

Life sucks, but at least it doesn't last forever (presumably). Plus, there are cookies and kittens occasionally, which can be nice.*

* Cookies will make you unhealthy. Kittens will scratch your face. These are facts.#

# At least kittens are cute. Imagine being scratched by a hideous beast.%

% Who is to say kittens aren't also hideous in their own way? Who decides what's cute?+

+ Look, just don't get a fucking kitten if it's such a problem.

^ Life, sort of.

Life=Kitten.

I like that.

Lynx=Utopia (?)

If I'm a kitten dressed as a lynx...I must be an optimistic idealist....perhaps...

 

[Thoughtful]

You stole my answer RT!

this is a tough one, for me, I think it varies on the subject matter. In terms of politics and economics I'm a realistic pessimist. In just about everything else: realistic optimist.

 

[Starfruit M.E.]

I have also felt that it's a half glass. I have never called it anything else. It's a half bottle of glue, it's a half of a banana. That's what it is. It can only be interpreted by the situation. For instance, if I am making cake, and I need a stick of butter, and I only have half a stick. But still, I never say that the butter wrapper is only half full, or half empty. It sounds strange.

I prefer to go by "realist", and yes, I think the optimist doesn't understand life (and should go away), and the pessimist does think about it too much. lol