(November 20, 2018 at 5:19 pm)tackattack Wrote: I  am pretty certain I see your perspective, I just disagree and find fault with your analogy and your uses of definitions.
I'm hoping you're not being obtuse intentionally so I'll give it one more attempt.
1> is it possible for me to possibly change a preconception you had regarding emotions?

Sure if you give sound reasons.
The definition is a dictionary definition not mine.

Quote:2> To clarify my questions I am asking, if you had no knowledge of something would you agree that it is the absence of something?

I would agree it's the absence of knowledge of something, but that something would still exist. (assuming you could realistically show that by adding knowledge).

Quote:If the above answers are affirmative then feel free to keep reading

I like reading, so I will carry on

Quote:A. Having an emotion is something having the LACK of emotion is something too defined as
lack 1  the fact or state of being absent
an example would be a hole. You can not define a hole because it's an absence of dirt.

Yes, but not the opposite of dirt, it's a lack of.

Quote:B. I define emotion as a something and the lack of it no emotion as defined in
apathy 1  a lack of emotion

Yes, but you would never define emotion as a lack of no emotion, to be opposite the definition must work both ways. there has to be some way to define either position from the opposing position.

Quote:C. To cite your own example if we replace your 3 people with 3 different emotions it fails. If we however have only 2 people/emotions on opposite sides of the street. They would both be xx distance from the middle of the street. That middle of the street is what I'm using as my reference point and I call it apathy

Reference point for what? you are making my point the middle man is not opposite of anyone, you could certainly say that a person one one side is x meters away from the middle man, but being not one or the other is not opposite to anyone.  I'm wondering how you make the leap from that to apathy (absence of  love) is the opposite of love, the dictionary definition simply does not allow for that.

Quote:If that doesn't clear things up I don't know what will and will concede

I'm pretty sure you started this thread with an aim in mind, why not just skip directly to that, then maybe we can progress ?

A vampire from South Africa.

If you get the reference, fuck you're old!

(November 20, 2018 at 6:31 pm)The Valkyrie Wrote: A vampire from South Africa.

If you get the reference, fuck you're old!

I love you

Just to respond to your points because it's rude not to:

"to be opposite the definition must work both ways" is emphatically false in your definition. The noun meaning of opposite is commonly diametrically opposed. I'm not talking about direction because we're not talking about forces. I'm talking about nature because it's subjective. I'm talking about the meaning of the word Love.

"there has to be some way to define either position from the opposing position" There is . You define a hole as having dirt or not having dirt. You can not separate hole from dirt because it is the absence of dirt in an area. You can however identify dirt subjectively and a hole subjectively. I can see a hole and say, "that's a hole" (lacks dirt). I can see dirt and say "that's dirt" (has dirt).

If you have a hole (lack of emotion) and you add dirt to it (more emotion) then it is less a hole (apathetic) and more filled with dirt (filled with love). You can say I'm no longer apathetic and have a surplus of Love (you filled the hole and now it's a mound).

Of course I started the thread with an aim in mind. I wanted to see how people explained emotions and what they thought the opposite of emotion was, hence the poll and discussion. Most people see the opposite of Love as apathy/indifference, some see it as another emotion, and you see it as it doesn't have an opposite.

I concede. Love does not necessarily have to have an opposite. I feel it does have an easily describable opposite of indifference/apathy. Love could just be love and not have an opposite.

(November 20, 2018 at 7:25 pm)tackattack Wrote: Just to respond to your points because it's rude not to:

"to be opposite the definition must work both ways" is emphatically false in your definition. The noun meaning of opposite is commonly diametrically opposed. I'm not talking about direction because we're not talking about forces. I'm talking about nature because it's subjective. I'm talking about the meaning of the word Love.

Fair enough,but then why talk about opposites to subjective emotions at all, which of course was my original point ?

Quote:"there has to be some way to define either position from the opposing position" There is . You define a hole as having dirt or not having dirt. You can not separate hole from dirt because it is the absence of dirt in an area. You can however identify dirt subjectively and a hole subjectively. I can see a hole and say, "that's a hole" (lacks dirt). I can see dirt and say "that's dirt" (has dirt).

Okay... but it's still not the opposite of dirt, which is what you are trying to affirm.

Quote:If you have a hole (lack of emotion) and you add dirt to it (more emotion) then it is less a hole (apathetic) and more filled with dirt (filled with love). You can say I'm no longer apathetic and have a surplus of Love (you filled the hole and now it's a mound).

But what has this to do with opposites? a partially filled hole is still a hole not a partial absence of a hole, it's not the opposite of a hole, or dirt it's simply a smaller hole.

Quote:Of course I started the thread with an aim in mind. I wanted to see how people explained emotions and what they thought the opposite of emotion was, hence the poll and discussion. Most people see the opposite of Love as apathy/indifference, some see it as another emotion, and you see it as it doesn't have an opposite.

Actually most don't (at least at the current count)

Quote:I concede. Love does not necessarily have to have an opposite. I feel it does have an easily describable opposite of indifference/apathy. Love could just be love and not have an opposite.

It's a rather subjective matter really, i don't have any objection per-say to love having an opposite, I just don't see any need for it.
Love has a rather beautiful description to stand or fall on its own.