Half empty. After all, why the hell is my drink only 50% full? What kind of cheap piece of crap is running this establishment? I paid $12 for this martini, so I expect it to be full!
I am of the belief that logic dictates that both are true.
Here's the sentential sequence of that theorem:
A thing, divided by 2, becomes 2 things
Once divided, the two things can exhibit contradictory properties
Ergo, a thing can be a thing, while a non-thing can be a non-thing.
Ergo, if a glass is filled halfway with water, the other half must be occupied by something else.
In this case emptiness. Therefore a glass is half empty AND half-full without defying the law of identity (i.e. a thing is a thing, it cannot be a non-thing.)
Actually, if we're gonna get really technical, a glass half-filled with water on planet earth is half-filled with water, and half-mixed with a mixture of gases some refer to as "air".
So yeah, a glass (on earth, in an environment in which humans can survive) is always full, even if it's only half-filled with water, and even if there is no water in it.
I guess that makes me more of an optimist than the people who like to think the glass is only half-full.
" The glass is always full, none of this half-full bullshit. "
Didn't realize someone drew that conclusion before me (though I'm sure someone drew that conclusion before you, elsewhere). Yes, this is the correct answer. "
Half empty. I'm a rather pessimistic person... I have a way of finding the down side to everything. Also, when I look at a cup of the sweet nectar of the mountain (Mountain Dew, the sweat of Jesus) and notice that half of it is gone, I die a little on the inside.
On some occasions, it really depends on what's in the glass. I want a half-full cup of Black Mamba Venom (delicious), but only a half-empty cup of dog shit (not so delicious). And yes, I totally just jacked that joke from Demetri Martin.
" @auspiciousqueue: Now if only I could put it to some sort of productive use... "
Though this situation wouldn't really be brought up, the fact is that you can learn a lot from a person very quickly with things like these, do people look at the positive first or not, it really tells a lot.
I never really got the "half full or half empty" question. If the glass is empty, and you pour whatever it is you're pouring into it until it's half-full, it's half-full. If the glass is full, and half its contents is removed, it's half-empty.
" @auspiciousqueue: Now if only I could put it to some sort of productive use... "
Though this situation wouldn't really be brought up, the fact is that you can learn a lot from a person very quickly with things like these, do people look at the positive first or not, it really tells a lot. "
Which is why it's best to judge the glass on the evidence, and not one's personal disposition.
After all, those who let their senses compile the data, then let their minds process the data, are better able to describe the data than those who have "beliefs" about the data independent of their interactions with it.
This is why my thought experiment led to the "both" verdict before realizing that it led to a contradiction: emptiness isn't a thing. This is part and parcel of considering the properties of air. In other words, my initial, contradictory verdict was only arrived at by examining some of the evidence, but not all of it.
Having said that, our rational faculties are much better employed on practical matters than they are on glasses filled half with water and half with air ;)
Also, just realized this was a poll thread.
To the TC, you did not give a sufficient stable of options! You need to add "Always empty" and "Always full"
" I am of the belief that logic dictates that both are true. Here's the sentential sequence of that theorem: A thing, divided by 2, becomes 2 things Once divided, the two things can exhibit contradictory properties Ergo, a thing can be a thing, while a non-thing can be a non-thing. Ergo, if a glass is filled halfway with water, the other half must be occupied by something else. In this case emptiness. Therefore a glass is half empty AND half-full without defying the law of identity (i.e. a thing is a thing, it cannot be a non-thing.) Actually, if we're gonna get really technical, a glass half-filled with water on planet earth is half-filled with water, and half-mixed with a mixture of gases some refer to as "air". So yeah, a glass (on earth, in an environment in which humans can survive) is always full, even if it's only half-filled with water, and even if there is no water in it. I guess that makes me more of an optimist than the people who like to think the glass is only half-full. "
And in the most technical sense, a glass is never full of anything. Atoms are mostly empty space so regardless of how much water or gas is contained within the glass, even though it may look full on a larger scale, the glass is still technically nearly empty.
THE GLASS PROGRESSES FROM FULL TO EMPTY. THEREFORE, IT IS HALF EMPTY. HOWEVER, IF WE ARE SPEAKING OF A CASE IN WHICH THE GLASS IS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING FILLED UP, IT WOULD BECOME HALF FULL.
I never understood why the "glass half full or glass half empty?" thing is such a big deal. If you're filling up a glass and stop halfway, it's half full. If you're drinking it or emptying it and stop halfway, it's half empty.
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