Random deep questions I thought up

That doesn't mean I'm the first one to think them up, just that they occurred to me. Now I've decided to share some of my insanity with everyone here. In this thread I will post random paradoxical or otherwise thought provoking things that have floated into my mind. They may not be super philosophical or like brain exploding or anything but hey. I'd really like feedback on them if you have it. The very first one, and this one I thought of last night:

I think we can agree that:

Yes and No

are opposite each other.

So what is the opposite of maybe? A quick reply would be "maybe not" Aren't maybe and maybe not really exactly the same answer? I suppose "maybe" isn't a quantifiable word, and quite possibly has no opposite. Still if it does/did, what would it be? Or am I just asking for the opposite of 50%?

Maybe means there is a chance of it happening, so the opposite would be no, which means there is no chance of it happening. That does not mean yes means maybe though, because, like you said, maybe and maybe not are the same thing. Maybe not means it might not happen and yes means it will certainly happen.

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Originally Posted by dreamsinmymynd

Maybe means there is a chance of it happening, so the opposite would be no, which means there is no chance of it happening. That does not mean yes means maybe though, because, like you said, maybe and maybe not are the same thing. Maybe not means it might not happen and yes means it will certainly happen.

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So basically the math for this question is that if 0 is no and 100 is yes, anything over 0 and less than 100 is maybe. So the opposite of any number > 0 would be 0, or no in the "yes, no, maybe" realm of math. Which means that no is the opposite of an infinite number of "maybe's" Which means in this context, no has at least two quantifiable opposites, yes, and maybe. But yes and maybe can be the same thing. A definite yes is still also valid as maybe, if all maybe means is "there is some chance of thing x occuring". Heh

Whoever said that words have to have opposites? What's the opposite of a telephone? What's the opposite of 27?

Also, no is not the opposite of maybe. Maybe means "There is a chance of it happening" just as it means "There is a chance of it not happening", so saying that no is its opposite isn't justified.

One possible opposite of maybe would be 'certainly'.

Be aware that for there to be an opposite there has to be a mirror axis. For maybe, we could take the axis "certainty". "maybe" would be uncertain, and its opposite would be certainly. The mirror axis is arbitrary which is why semantic opposites are just mental masturbation. Words don't naturally come in pairs.

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Originally Posted by Serkat

The mirror axis is arbitrary which is why semantic opposites are just mental masturbation.

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This thread is now about this sentence.

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Originally Posted by Serkat

Whoever said that words have to have opposites? What's the opposite of a telephone? What's the opposite of 27?

Also, no is not the opposite of maybe. Maybe means "There is a chance of it happening" just as it means "There is a chance of it not happening", so saying that no is its opposite isn't justified.

One possible opposite of maybe would be 'certainly'.

Be aware that for there to be an opposite there has to be a mirror axis. For maybe, we could take the axis "certainty". "maybe" would be uncertain, and its opposite would be certainly. The mirror axis is arbitrary which is why semantic opposites are just mental masturbation. Words don't naturally come in pairs.

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These are exactly the kind of response I was looking for. Make me look at it differently. I should clarify I wasn't so much asking for the opposite of the word as much as the concept. Still, your right, do things inherently have an opposite? Is the opposite of a telephone, no telephone? Or a telephone made of antimatter? I still feel the opposite of the concept maybe could be no, but it could be yes as well I think now. If you take your certainty axis, yes and no are absolutes, maybe and maybe not are not. Yes and no have certainty values of 100%, while maybe has some value less than that. On a graph it might be a parabola, with yes and no being the "ends" at 100% and all points along the arc being maybe's. That's kind of a weak model actually, but it's all I can think of at the moment.

Edit: actually the parabola could work. I dismissed it because it really models that there is no opposite of maybe, as maybe would have an infinite number of points along that parabola between the absolutes yes and no. The last thought I have is that maybe is possibly it's own opposite. Yes and no, the absolute values are opposites yet the same, they are both 100% certain, but one is positive and the other negative. If maybe is "some degree of certainty" the best you could quantify it's "opposite" which is a poorly chosen word on my part I feel now, is "some other degree of certainty". So at best maybe is the opposite of yes, no and itself. As well as being equal to all those things.

Edit: One last thing, I realize now I was trying to see a VARIABLE in terms of CONSTANTS. The constants yes and no, their values cannot change. The variable maybe obviously can. So of course it stands to reason that maybe can be equal to yes and no, as well as any value in between. I think that pretty much does this one?

Asking what the opposite of maybe is, is like asking what the opposite of grey is.

Brown, idiot.

It's pink. Clearly.

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Originally Posted by Leixor

are opposite each other.

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no

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Originally Posted by Leixor

So basically the math for this question is that if 0 is no and 100 is yes, anything over 0 and less than 100 is maybe. So the opposite of any number > 0 would be 0, or no in the "yes, no, maybe" realm of math. Which means that no is the opposite of an infinite number of "maybe's" Which means in this context, no has at least two quantifiable opposites, yes, and maybe. But yes and maybe can be the same thing. A definite yes is still also valid as maybe, if all maybe means is "there is some chance of thing x occuring". Heh

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Zero being a noninteger, and all forms of yes and maybe being positive numbers. Interesting.

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Originally Posted by Xei

Brown, idiot.

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Huh?

Finding the inverse of gray is like finding the inverse of (2,2) over y=x.

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Originally Posted by TimeStopper

Finding the inverse of gray is like finding the inverse of (2,2) over y=x.

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Gray is its own inverse? Oh no silly Grey is Gray's inverse!

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Huh?

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JOKES. :D

Maybe is its own opposite, just like the neutron is its own anti-particle.

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Originally Posted by drewmandan

Maybe is its own opposite, just like the neutron is its own anti-particle.

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Excellent point.

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Originally Posted by drewmandan

Maybe is its own opposite, just like the neutron is its own anti-particle.

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That is awesome.

GUYS.

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Originally Posted by Leixor

what is the opposite of maybe?

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¬[mabye]

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Originally Posted by Serkat

What's the opposite of a telephone?

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¬[a telephone]

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Originally Posted by Serkat

What's the opposite of 27?

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¬[27]

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Originally Posted by Marvo

what the opposite of grey is.

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¬[grey]


GUYS, DUH. CMON.

not maybe, not a telephone, not 27, not grey!

I don't know but myabe has 2 sides: maybe yes, maybe no wouldn't the opposite be certainly yes, certainly no?

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Originally Posted by Nefarious

I don't know but myabe has 2 sides: maybe yes, maybe no wouldn't the opposite be certainly yes, certainly no?

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The opposite of maybe is thus the word "unfortunately."

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Originally Posted by Leixor

So basically the math for this question is that if 0 is no and 100 is yes, anything over 0 and less than 100 is maybe. So the opposite of any number > 0 would be 0, or no in the "yes, no, maybe" realm of math. Which means that no is the opposite of an infinite number of "maybe's" Which means in this context, no has at least two quantifiable opposites, yes, and maybe. But yes and maybe can be the same thing. A definite yes is still also valid as maybe, if all maybe means is "there is some chance of thing x occuring". Heh

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i don't see how yes and maybe can be the same thing, "maybe" leaves open a chance of something happening while "yes" doesn't leave open a chance of something happening, it means something is happening.

"are you going to the mall?"
"yes"

"are you going to the mall?"
"maybe"

yes=/=maybe

as far as i'm concerned the opposite of "maybe" is "no". and if it isn't then "maybe" is in the grey zone:

yes (opposite to no) - maybe (by itself) - no (opposite to yes)

The opposite of maybe is certainly yes/no.