Pessimism, optimism, realism and ...

January 22, 2012 9:48 AM

I need a word. Imagine two axes "risk" and "optimism" and two states "high" and "low", thus four states. lo optimism lo risk = pessimism, hi optimism lo risk = optimism, lo optimism hi risk = realism, hi optimism hi risk = ???

(Context: describing states of mind when considering the precautionary principle, so biased to conservative. "Gutsy" probably won't work)

posted by falcon to Writing & Language (23 answers total)

Daring? Boldness? Audacity?
posted by Gordafarin at 9:54 AM on January 22, 2012

Brazen? Kind of goes with audacity, though.
posted by halfbuckaroo at 10:00 AM on January 22, 2012 [1 favorite]

I'm a little thrown by your set-up, because you're using optimism and pessimism as your low-risk states, when they're words that have nothing to do, really, with risk levels, and because it's unclear whether you're using risk to mean "there happens to be a lot at stake in this situation," or "I am choosing to up the stakes in this situation," which are different mental states.

Can you clarify?
posted by Andrhia at 10:00 AM on January 22, 2012

Ambition?
posted by biochemist at 10:02 AM on January 22, 2012

I think there is a problem if the word "optimism" itself works for high optimism low risk but not for high optimism high risk.

There's also a problem if the opposite of optimism, pessimism, is defined as a low risk state. If these are axes on a graph you need them to be independent.
posted by steinwald at 10:02 AM on January 22, 2012

Yeah, what Andrhia said.
posted by steinwald at 10:06 AM on January 22, 2012

Yeah, I'm another person who thinks that what you're trying to do doesn't make sense as stated. What are you trying to do? Can you give examples?
posted by Lebannen at 10:07 AM on January 22, 2012

Yeah, using "pessimism" and "optimism" to mean "some but not all of pessimism" and "some but not all of optimism" makes it very confusing what you're looking for. Why is optimism and some specific thing "optimism", but optimism and some other specific thing, apparently, not "optimism"? It seems to make little sense.

Ignoring that, and taking a guess at what you might mean, perhaps "optimism and risk" would be "confidence"?
posted by Flunkie at 10:07 AM on January 22, 2012

Opposite of realist is fantasist.
posted by oddovid at 10:08 AM on January 22, 2012

Indeed, on your system, high risk-high optimism would be over-confidence. Reckless.
posted by Namlit at 10:09 AM on January 22, 2012 [1 favorite]

I think you could label one axis something like "outlook" or "forecast" and it might be a little clearer what you're looking for.

So it would be:

low risk, negative forecast: pessimism
low risk, positive forecast: optimism

high risk, negative outlook: realism
high risk, positive outlook: overconfidence, mania
posted by muddgirl at 10:12 AM on January 22, 2012 [5 favorites]

I didn't mean to interchange outlook and forecast in my examples.
posted by muddgirl at 10:13 AM on January 22, 2012

foolishness, overconfidence, idealism, recklessness
posted by vytae at 10:17 AM on January 22, 2012

Best answer: Braggadacio? Hubris?
posted by These Birds of a Feather at 10:43 AM on January 22, 2012

Wouldn't high optimism, low risk be realism as well? And that would make optimism an appropriate label for high optimism, high risk.
posted by monkeys with typewriters at 10:43 AM on January 22, 2012 [2 favorites]

Mania
posted by clockzero at 10:44 AM on January 22, 2012

Panglossianism?
posted by Bokmakierie at 10:49 AM on January 22, 2012

I know this doesn't specifically answer the question, but it might get your head wrapped around the contrasts in language you are looking for.
posted by timsteil at 10:50 AM on January 22, 2012

exuberance.
posted by crunchland at 10:59 AM on January 22, 2012

impetuousness.
posted by lulu68 at 11:26 AM on January 22, 2012

Foolishness?
posted by Fuego at 11:46 AM on January 22, 2012

Hi-hi would be "gambling".
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 11:53 AM on January 22, 2012

Response by poster: Friends - thank you so much. Solved. All of these suggestions are very helpful and some are hilarious and I would love to use them, but can't. I will be able to use some of them in the narrative. But "hubris" is perfect.
posted by falcon at 12:41 PM on January 22, 2012 [1 favorite]