A Thousand Perspectives

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Although two persons are viewing at the same incidence, they often perceive it differently. This shows for example in how the incidence is communicated. A classic example is a glass which is filled with 50% of water. Do you see it as half full or half empty? On the website left-or-right.com more than 3000 visitors have answered this question. At the time of writing 72% of them would say the glass is “Half full”, only 28% regard it as “Half empty”. Technically, both views are totally correct, neither of them is in any way superior to the other. To be precise, the mentioned website did not even pose a question, visitors simply chose between the two options. The survey seemingly lacks any meaning. If there is no question, what should the answer mean? This is similar to the “Ultimate Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything” in Douglas Adams’ “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”. After millions of years of computing the supercomputer “Deep Thought” found that it was 42, which is obviously pointless without the corresponding question.

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