What do you think about the statement, "If everyone is special, then noone is"?

Question

What is your opinion on this statement, and why do you have such an opinion? Please, feel free to elaborate.

Answer 1

ISo I believe the statement "If everyone is special, then no one is," is False, because Special & Unique are totally different.

Special = Subjective Value judgment
Unique = Objective observation.

If a diamond ring is Unique, it means there is no other ring like it.
If a diamond ring is Special, it means that a Human Person (or other entity) has judged it to be of Value.

Let's take the case of a mother, who has 10 children. To a Truly Loving mother, all her children are Special - whether they are all Unique, OR if they are all Identical twins! Or, if you believe in God, all the children of God are Special, whether they are Unique or not. Their Higher Love allows them to see that, Every Child or Person, whether they are all Unique, or all the Same, they are all Special.

This is why it is possible for this statement to be true: "If everyone is Special (or Unique), everyone can still be Special." It is a Higher-Level Value judgment, that only a Very Loving Being can make.

Unfortunately, most human beings are can't, or don't want to, make this Value Judgment. In order for an Average Human being to value something as Special, it usually has to be Rare or Unique.
To them, Unique = Special. They have NO IDEA how to see that even Identical = Special, that Each One is Valuable, regardless of whether they are Unique or Not. Only an Average Human being would make judgments of People to compare their Greater or Lesser Value.

This is why many people may agree with the original statement, "If everyone is Special, then no one is Special." They value Uniqueness, and not Sameness. Their agreement with this statement is only a reflection of their own Value judgments.

Finally, let's examine the Logic if we substitute the Value term Special for the Objective term Unique: "If everyone is Unique, then no one is Unique." This statement is logically False, because if everyone is Unique, they are still all Unique. (It wouldn't even hold up mathematically: Everyone = Unique = No one.)

It's just that to the Average Human being, if everyone is Unique, then they are no longer as Special. The 1st statement is Objective, "If everyone is Unique...", but the conclusion is Subjective, "...then no one is Unique." The confusion occurs because the speaker uses the word "Unique" for 2 entirely different meanings within the same statement. What the speaker really means is, "If everyone is Unique, then no one is Special." A clear Value judgment.

But to answer the original question of what I personally think, my own subjective Value judgment is that "Everyone is Unique, and Everyone is Special."

Thanks for asking the question! I wouldn't have analyzed it if you hadn't asked it. When I read it, I completely disagreed with the spirit of the statement, and wanted to prove it wrong. It appears simplistic, but now I realize that it has extensive implications. I learned a lot by trying to answer it!

Answer 2

Been watching 'The Incredibles' again, have we? I like that movie too. ( :

A version of the same saying that I like a little better is, "Why can't you be unique just like everybody else?!" Which is a very similar point, only much more overtly absurd.

Sure, a person can look and find something slightly different about any person. Does that make them special in the sense of being valuable? If EVERYONE has a unique characteristic, then having a unique characteristic is not only not unique, it is ubiquitous.

Can you even imagine something that is both ubiquitous and valuable? If everyone had a hundred tons of gold in their backyard, then gold wouldn't be valuable, it would be garbage. If everyone had a machine that produced any food they could possibly desire, would anyone be able to sell food? At best, you could sell service and atmosphere... but not the food.

And this is the point. If everyone has some particular intrinsic value, then that just changes the standard rather than empowering anyone.

If one person could fly, he would be famous. Legendary, even. If anyone could fly, nobody would care. And if everyone is special in some way, then that particular specialness is meaningless. Only the ESPECIALLY special will even raise an eyebrow.

Answer 3

Logic has its own limitations:

In the 1930s, Austrian mathematician Godel proved a
theorem which became the "Godel theorem" in cognition
theory. It states that any formalized 'logical' system
in principle cannot be complete in itself. It means
that a statement can always be found that can be
neither disproved nor proved using the means of that
particular system. To discuss about such a statement,
one must go beyond that very logic system; otherwise
nothing but a vicious circle will result. Psychologist
say that any experience is contingent - it's opposite
is logically possible and hence should not be treated
as contradictory.

The mind of each one of us is as different as our
finger prints - no two are alike.

Answer 4

well, lets put it this way. consider a city with a superhero. ppl look upto him, praise and he IS a "superhero", now if everyone in the city is a superjoe, then it doesnt actually help. ie., its actually neither helping them or the city,coz they r all the same.....so, if eveyones super, no one actually is coz the new definition ofsuper is super squared.well..sth like tht.

thnk of it this way again, u define special as something tht stands out...now, for sth to stand out, it must be different frm the others, but in the statement, EVERYONE stands out in 1 way or the other, so standing out isnt actually standing out nw, coz now, inroder to stand out, ull have to grow , to a higher level...more thn JUST special.

p.s:i do get bukroots point very well......beauty with brains... <3.lol

Answer 5

well..its simple really: if everyone is special then they all have something to make them stand out. but if everyone stands out then typically they are all the same, so the ones who trully stand out would then be the ones who are NOT special...

that would ultimately mean that those who r NOT special will be considered special.... so again...those who stand out r the select few who have something others do not. if those others ALL have something then they form a mass... no one stands out when they are part of a mass, so who is left beside mass? the non-special...

anyone get my point?

Answer 6

Anyone who is special will realize that in fact they are not special. What makes them special is something that all of us have. This thing that is special may not be as developed as much in one person as much as the next but the potentiality is there for any of us.

Answer 7

I think that it is a true statement because if everyone had a IQ of 300 then they would just be average.

Answer 8

Everyone IS special, but not all special in the same way..

Everyone has something about them that is wonderfully unique to them and only them.

Answer 9

Not true. Unless you mean that everyone is special in the same way.
As long as we are all special in our individuality then we are all still very special.
I hope you don't mean special as in short bus 'special'.

Answer 10

So its either /or? can't we all have our 15 seconds of fame? and who are you to decide