A Dictionary of Cont..

optimism 340
it is followed by of (My view is the very opposite
of his). See also contrary.
optimism was the name given by the Jesuits to
Leibnitz’s doctrine (propounded in his The’odicke,
1710) that our world is the “best of all
possible worlds.” The word gained currency
from the attack on the doctrine by Voltaire in
Candide ou I’Optimisme, 1759.
From this philosophical beginning the word
has spread out to include many meanings which
might otherwise be better conveyed. Among the
more general senses of optimism are the belief
that good ultimately predominates over evil,
that good pervades reality, and (the loose, popular
sense) the disposition to hope for the best,
the tendency to look on the brighter side of
things, to be hopeful in adversity. In this last
sense optimism may, indeed often does, have no
philosophical basis whatever. It is simply a loose
synonym for cheerfulness, a term to express a
function of sound health. the reflection of good
luck or limited powers of observation. -
optimist; pessimist; meliorist. Philosophically, an
optimist is one who believes that because the
Creator is infinitely good and infinitely powerful
this is the best of all possible worlds. In the
popular use of the term, he is simply a cheerful,
hopeful person who, when faced with a number
of possible happenings or consequences, assumes
that the one most favorable to himself
will occur.
Philosophically, a pessimist is one who believes
that evil is dominant in the world, that
life’s unhappiness is not compensated for by its
happiness. In popular use the word is applied
to anyone who takes an unusually or consistently
gloomy view of things and since the modern
world, especially in its economic aspects, is
wedded to optimism, the word is usually disparaging.
Really an optimist, though usually considered
a “middle-of-the-reader,” is the meliorist,
one who believes that the world is not perfect
but that it can be made better by human action.
Most people are probably meliorists, but the
word is not widely used or even known, the
extremes being more suitable for popular discussion.
optimistic; hopeful; sanguine. All three of these
words suggest a favorable view of things. The
difference between optimistic and the other two
is one of kind. Between hopeful and sanguine
it is one of degree.
Optimistic, in its proper sense, describes a
habit of mind, a disposition to take a favorable
view of things. It is correct to say He was optimistic
or even He was optimistic about the
future of mankind or about world government.
But the word which designates a habit of mind
is not applicable to a small matter or a particular
thing and it is improper to say He was
optimistic about his chance of getting a ticket.
Here hopeful or sanguine would be a better
word. Of the two, hopeful, which means having
hope or being full of hope, would be better in
this context. Sanguine, which means naturally
cheerful and hopeful, confident, having a high
degree of hope, is a stronger word than hopeful,
but it is little used in England (except in the
now slightly archaic expression of a sanguine
complexion meaning “of a cheerful disposition”)
and almost never in America except in
such stock phrases as beyond our most sunguine
expectations and not sanguine about the
outcome. Optimistic, however loosely it may
convey the desired sense, seems to have crowded
out its more accurate rivals.
optimum, as an adjective, is not merely a synonym
for best. It means, rather, the best under
the (usually conflicting) circumstances, the
most favorable, that is, towards attaining some
desired end. The best speed of a car might be
its utmost. The optimum, if the desired end
were economy of fuel, would be a great deal
less than that. The optimum number of students
that a college might seek to enroll would not
be the largest number that could be accommodated
in the dormitories or the classrooms but
the largest number consistent with a number of
conditions, such as the energies of the teaching
staff, the facilities of the library, and so on, with
a view to giving each student the best education
possible under the circumstances.
option means the power or liberty of choosing,
the right or freedom of choice (Zt is his option,
whether he will fight or Ron away), something
which may be or is chosen (The town was dry
by local option), or-a special legal and commercial
use-a privilege acquired, as by the
payment of a premium or consideration, of demanding,
within a specified time, the carrying
out of a transaction upon stipulated terms (If
he does not take up his option within six months,
the money in escrow will be forfeited). A choice
is simply the act of choosing, that which is
chosen, or an alternative. It implies the opportunity
to choose; where option stresses, rather,
the free right or privilege of choosing. Where
there is any doubt, choice is to be preferred to
option, if only as the more common, less pretentious
word. And certainly option is not to be
used where the broader equivalent, choice, is
superfluous. To say I had no option but to sign
is a pompous, wordy way of saying “I had to
sign.”
opulent. See rich.
opus. The plural is opera, not opi. The English
plural opuses is used only facetiously.
or; nor. These words are conjunctions and join
elements that are grammatically alike. A personal
pronoun following or or nor must have
the form that it would have if it were being used
in the sentence itself instead of after or. That
is, the form him is required in no one suw you
or him because him is required in no one sow
him; and the form he is required in either
you mltst do it or he because he is required
in he must do it. In present-day English the
verb is usually repeated after a subjective pronoun
such as he, as in either you must do it
or he must.
Nor makes the words that follow it negative.