What exactly is a "negative" and a "positive"?

Answer 1

I basically agree with many of the answers. Philosophically, negative & positive are individual perceptions. They are dualities defined by the mind, & allow no grey zones that create the transition that makes them the harmony of one.

Answer 2

Several things, if you are asking in either a psychological or a philosophical sense.

In a sense, the terms are relative, and in a sense they are not. We can always ask "positive with respect to what?" That implies relativity. But if we mean that "positive" and "negative" mean bearing or direction of movement, the terms take on a more absolute connotation.

A few of the most notable philosophical systems to consider polarity as a basic tenet of reality and even of cosmogenesis, are Taoism, Kaballa, Yogi-ism, Rosicrucianism, and Hermeticism, and Theosophy. We could throw in Aristotle, too, although he did not emphasize it similarly to the others I've named.

The term polarity seems most highlighted in Taoism. Yin and Yang! And in Taoism, you'll find instantiations of negative and positive laid out rather clearly. That is, what constiutes negative and what constitutes positive, are spelled out. So , you'll find some of your answer there.

Also, when it comes to states of affairs to which humans have any emotional response, (which is a huge set of affairs!) a negative is one that produces an undesirable feeling, and a positive is one that produces a desirable feeling. A "pos vibe" is a pos one because is makes pos feeling.

BTW, one of the problems with psychopaths is that they get a pos feeling from laying out some very big neg's!

We might also say that a negative produces undesirable effects in general, and vice versa.

Back to bearing or direction of movement. Movement occurs between opposites. Along its line of movement between opposites, it heads one direction or the other. How we label the ends of the line is up to us. We can use the general effects method, or the emotional vibe method, or we can take advice from the mystical people in Taosim and so on.

Answer 3

The negative and positive is only a perspective from a individual that decides to make something positive or negative.

Answer 4

Negative pulls, positive pushes.
Negative receives, positive gives.

Answer 5

very sturdy. right this is the ambiguity. If this is all an phantasm how is it which you would be waiting to determine it as such? What differentiates the phantasm from fact. Is it that feeling interior the pit or your abdomen that tells you something approximately this entire international is incorrect? while i take advantage of the be conscious phantasm I propose it in regard to the incontrovertible fact that this fact is a build, a fabrication, by ability of something exterior the suggestions it somewhat is experiencing it. the rationalization some choose for to believe that the universe could exist without observers is via the fact it supplies ability to the belief rely is concrete and the suggestions is purely an phantasm. the certainty remains, in spite of the incontrovertible fact that, that the existence of the universe could be beside the point without observers. potential, rely, time and area are all purely suggestions to our expertise and so are existence and dying. because of the fact fact can in effortless terms be perceived by ability of a suggestions it is going to continually be the made of one.

Answer 6

These are all variants on the polarity of our thinking. Black and white thinking is often problematic, even though we swear by it.

Good or bad.
Right or wrong.
Positive or negative.
Good or evil.
Light or dark.

Each concept overlooks the excluded middle, or the neutral point.

A positive outcome is a desired outcome.
A negative outcome is an undersired outcome.

The same pattern emerges:

Desirable or undesirable.

Answer 7

That which builds me up is positive, that which tears me down is negative.

The trick is that in order for myself to be built up, something else must be torn down, and the moment I am torn down, something else is built up immediately in my place.

So basically, it's all relative. What may be a negative to one is invariably a positive to someone else, even when speaking of the same exact specific situation.

Answer 8

A plus (+) and a minus (-) respectively. Hence a negative is something that is discordant and a positive is something that is concordant.

A plus and a minus equal nothing. However two plusses will repel each other, and two negatives will repel each other. However, a plus and a minus will attract.

Answer 9

"negative" belittles, diminishes, makes things less.
"positive" praises, encourages, and makes things greater.

Answer 10

Negative is ... that which is not, nor will ever be, positive.

Positive is... that which is not, nor ever will be, negative.

Its all how you perceive a thing.