To the fourth answer: isn’t it true that philosophers hold that certain things are inherent and self-maintaining? You know, intrinsic value and all that…?
Answer 1
Truly an excellent question for deep philosophical reflection!!
Opposites are for attributes…unless there can be something that has no attributes, it is always possible to find something that has an opposite attribute. The reality is that one thing can have many attributes and for each of them there can be an opposite. The zero attribute is not reality.
That said, I would also like to point out that a thing cannot have an exact opposite, because it is not possible to have something else that has the opposite of every attribute that the thing has. This idea can be best understood by the observed fact that any two things in the Universe have similarities as well as differences, since two things cannot be absolutely identical in all respects, not even two little leaves on the same branch!
Finally, it can be argued that there is one thing which cannot have an opposite which is the “complete totality” of any set, since there is nothing but its opposite, but then “nothing ” is an opposite of all-encompassing “everything”. !! (The problem here is that this “nothing” does not actually exist in reality and is only a concept).
answer 2
Only when talking about objects. Objects appear in perception if there is a background that contrasts with a foreground (opposites). The object is the foreground. Otherwise, there is no contrast and therefore no perception of an object is possible. Call this the objective domain.
Philosophically, humans are postulated to have a non-objective domain. In this domain, there is no duality (no opposites, no background framing). No object emerges because the subject (or rather “objectless interiority”) no longer potentiates this process.
The objective domain is accessible with language, but the non-objective domain includes first-person experience and is technically ineffable, so most philosophers and scientists still struggle to cover the entire domain. Most avoid it.
Source(s): Franklin Merrill-Wolf, Jean Klein
answer 3
Everything has an epistemological opposite, but it does not always exist objectively. For example, the opposite of “dog”, epistemologically speaking, is “not-dog”. This does not mean that there really is a creature that is not a dog AND that is the opposite of a dog. Most living things have no opposites. A parasite is alive, but in any form (for example, a carnivorous bacterium) it can be considered anti-life, because parasites ruin, or even take, the life of their host. “Cat” is not the opposite of dog.
So, practically speaking, only ideas (concepts or premises) would always have an opposite. The opposite of objective is subjective; black light; White black; new old; ontological/epistemological (what is ontological must exist; what is epistemological can be strictly theoretical and never exist).
answer 4
Yeah. The most important point in life is the positive and negative energy created philosophically and scientifically. For every important aspect of life, there is an opposite. Like light/dark, life/death, fire/water, etc. Just like in life, everything is a “catch 22” due to the fact that any decision you make in life will have a positive or negative effect on someone (whether they realize it or not).
Answer 5
Not. You use the singular form “en face”. Some things have many opposites.
On the other hand, if you exclude synonyms…
On the other hand, assuming one has more than 2 hands, you are asking for the opposite of EVERYTHING, which would be NOTHING, or better yet, nothing (both opposites in meaning and capitals).
Answer 6
‘In front’ is our interpretation. They are usually just extremes along some gradient. However, that said… I think a negative number and the same positive value would be as close as possible because they completely cancel each other out. But I still think it’s only because of our bilateral brains that we perceive things in one or the other.
Answer 7
It is indefinable.
What is the antithesis of computers? How about cars, endless books? If you want to find the opposite, the answers can be many. By saying otherwise, the answer must be definitive and not theoretical.
Answer 8
In fact, nothing has a true opposite. We find opposites, but they’re really just categories we put things into to help us think about things. They are not really inherent in the universe.
Answer 9
Anything.
But joking aside, what is the opposite of God? And by God I mean the concept of a Creator (not “goodness” – so “devil” wouldn’t be an appropriate answer) I’m sure I could think of more things, ideas and concepts that don’t ‘have no opposites, but it’s too late to think lol
Answer 10
I go against you by saying no, because there are things where there are more than two options. For example, it doesn’t have to be a yes or no answer, even if I choose to be.