Pessimism and realism
John Wiegley
[A brief dip into semantics, apropos of nothing]
There's a distinction between idealism and optimism -- or between
realism and pessimism -- that is easy to overlook.
Idealism and realism concern perceptions of reality. An idealist will
see the world as he wants it to be, whereas a realist sees it as it
is. I think that idealism is great for vision, but terrible for
planning and implementation. The same -- conversely -- with respect
to realism. Both of these traits are good, if they balance each other
and are applied at the right times.
Pessimism and optimism concern our expectation of outcomes. That is,
any endeavor which reaches into the future touches on the unknown.
The unknown is full of surprises, both bad and good. The optimist
will prefer to anticipate a positive outcome. If he is also a
realist, he will acknowledge the possibility of a bad outcome, but
will focus on and anticipate the positive one. The idealist will
ignore the bad outcomes entirely, and fail to plan for them.
The pessimist on the other hand will prefer to anticipate a negative
outcome. He simply assumes that most endeavors are bound to fail, or
will not achieve their highest fulfillment. If he is an idealist, he
will never believe that good things can happen; if he is a realist, he
will accept this possibility, but still plan for the negative.
So when people say, "I'm not being pessimist, I'm being realistic", it
confuses the meaning of these two words, which apply to different
elements of perception.
John
Kilo Delta Five
fully is to take a pessimistic view. When setting goals, however, an
optimistic approach is the best not for realism purposes but rather
for moral. Pessimism, therefore, is closer to realism in that it is
the best probable predictable outcome to prepare for in most any case.
John Wiegley <jwie...@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<m21xs2d...@Majnun.local>...
Immortalist
"Kilo Delta Five" <kd5...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:ec642294.03112...@posting.google.com...
> The only way to properly assess properly the risks of a situation
> fully is to take a pessimistic view. When setting goals, however, an
> optimistic approach is the best not for realism purposes but rather
> for moral. Pessimism, therefore, is closer to realism in that it is
> the best probable predictable outcome to prepare for in most any case.
>
Seems more like doubt. Pessimism and optimism are involved with
considerations of past performances and their similarities with this run.