The question, "Is this glass half full or half empty?" has been traditionally used to divide the world into two groups, optimists and pessimists. Upon further examination, however, this question contains far more subtlety than it is usually given credit for. It contains expectations, judgments and new possible meanings for pessimism and optimism.
Expectations in "Half Full"
Few drinks are expected to take up half of the glass. If one is expecting a normal drink, one is expecting a full drink. If one sees the drink at half capacity and declares it to be half full, they are making the implicit admission that it is half more than what they expected or are currently imagining. In other words, half full is only half full when compared to a glass that is completely empty. This "completely empty" alternative is what one has in mind when they declare a drink to be half full.
Expectations in "Half Empty"
One who sees a glass at half capacity to be half empty is expecting a drink filled to normal, full capacity. The deviation from their expectation is that the glass has less than what they expected, or are currently imagining. In other words, the glass is half empty only when compared to a glass that is full. The "full" alternative is what one has in mind when they declare a glass to be half empty.
Optimistic or Pessimistic?
The popular understanding of the half full or half empty question is that the person who claims that the glass is half full is appreciating the fact that they are in possession of half a glass, whereas the person who claims the drink is half empty is bemoaning the fact that they have less than a full glass. Therefore, the person who claims the glass is half full is dubbed optimistic, whereas the person who claims the glass is half empty is dubbed pessimistic.
Differing Conceptions of the Glass
It was established earlier that the person who claims the glass is half empty is operating under the assumption, or has the conception of, a full glass. The person who claims the glass is half full is operating under the assumption, or has the conception of, a completely empty glass or no glass at all. Given that a full glass is obviously superior to a completely empty glass, it is the "half empty" individual who is expecting or imagining how things could be better. The "half full" individual is expecting or imagining how things could be worse.
A New Paradigm for Optimism and Pessimism
These differing conceptions of the glass allow for an alternate view of optimism and pessimism. The "half full" individual, in expecting or imagining how things could be worse, is a pessimist or a cynic who has been pleasantly surprised.The "half empty" individual, in expecting or imagining how things could be better, is not a pessimist, but an optimist or an idealist who has been disappointed. Comedian and social critic George Carlin embraced this idea when he refused to be labeled a cynic and declared himself to be a "disappointed idealist."
Thinking creatively, and perhaps even pragmatically, allows one to see an alternative perspective to this timeless philosophical question. The fact that the old paradigm is nearly the polar opposite of the new paradigm only makes the debate more interesting.
Jared Plotkin - I recently graduated from UC Irvine and I am trying to make a career out of freelance writing. I enjoy writing about a wide variety of ...
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