are extremes actually "very near" to each other ?

[michel]

I have often heard people say the following:-

"love' is only a step away from 'hate', genius is only a step from 'madness'...I am sure that there are others that could be added to the list.

Do you agree, disagree; if so why ? Any more examples ?

 

[Sunstone]

I've long thought fascists and communists had more in common with each other than either has with people who believe in the principles of Classical Liberalism, which is pretty much middle of the road these days.

 

[PureX]

I have often heard people say the following:-

"love' is only a step away from 'hate', genius is only a step from 'madness'...I am sure that there are others that could be added to the list.

Do you agree, disagree; if so why ? Any more examples ?

Well, I suppose that even opposite extremes have their extremism in common. I think that's what people mean by such sayings.

 

[Pah]

Perhaps the "extremes" are part of Catasrophe theory where a steady rise ends in a sudden drop back to beginning

 

[FatMan]

I have often heard people say the following:-

"love' is only a step away from 'hate', genius is only a step from 'madness'...I am sure that there are others that could be added to the list.

Do you agree, disagree; if so why ? Any more examples ?

In the 80's, I thought Madness was genius, but then once "One Step Beyond" was their only decent album, I realized I was wrong.

 

[michel]

I've long thought fascists and communists had more in common with each other than either has with people who believe in the principles of Classical Liberalism, which is pretty much middle of the road these days.

As have I; I believe that (if you imagine a circle with just one part of the circumference missing).. the estremes are actually seen to be close to each other ..(physically), and that the same happens in real life.

The passions of emotional love (as opposed to agape) and those of rage seem, to me, to be quite similar; as you said, Phil, I think that facists and Communists have far more in commonwith each other than 'the middle of the road'.

 

[Booko]

I've long thought fascists and communists had more in common with each other than either has with people who believe in the principles of Classical Liberalism, which is pretty much middle of the road these days.

The phrase I've heard is, "The extremes on any subject, when looked at carefully, can be seen to be the same."

And the obvious example is exactly what you mention, Phil. Fascism under the Nazis and Communism under Stalin? Hm...oppression, slaughter, jailing political prisoners...uh, what's the difference?

I'm pretty sure it's for reasons like this that Baha'i Writings have a "commandment" that can be summed up as "Thou shalt not be a fanatic."

 

[Dreamwolf]

This probably has no relevance whatsoever in this thread but reading through the posts I thought about this statement, "can't live with them, can't live without them".

I think too think the emotional reaction to love and hate are in some cases the same, as well as the passion put behind them both.

I think the world revolves around opposites. Opposite skin color, religion and so forth, but the further apart we separate them the more they seem to blend. The strange thing to me though is how any two religions that largly reguard themselves as opposites are so incredibly similiar, take christianity and islam for example.

So yeah, I think opposites really are just a breath apart from each other.

 

[michel]

This probably has no relevance whatsoever in this thread but reading through the posts I thought about this statement, "can't live with them, can't live without them".

I think too think the emotional reaction to love and hate are in some cases the same, as well as the passion put behind them both.

I think the world revolves around opposites. Opposite skin color, religion and so forth, but the further apart we separate them the more they seem to blend. The strange thing to me though is how any two religions that largly reguard themselves as opposites are so incredibly similiar, take christianity and islam for example.

So yeah, I think opposites really are just a breath apart from each other.

All very good points.

 

[Djamila]

I think in some cases they are. I think, for example, American Conservatives and Islamic terrorists are empowered by the same things. A bombing in the United States helps US Conservatives as much as it helps Islamic terrorists, probably moreso in some cases - Bush, for example.

I think some things like this are similar.

 

[Ozzie]

I have often heard people say the following:-

"love' is only a step away from 'hate', genius is only a step from 'madness'...I am sure that there are others that could be added to the list.

Do you agree, disagree; if so why ? Any more examples ?

It seems to me only words refering to physical objects can give words denoting physical proximity like near, close or far meaning in terms of ....physical proximity. Words denoting mental states like love, hate, genius, and madness make sense in relation to one another in couplets. But proximity words like close, near etc are undefined by these except relationally when real instances of observable behaviour are considered. So words denoting mental states do not identify extremes, so cannot be said to be close, near etc. :foot: