Quote Originally Posted by ephemeros View Post
I edited the text to be more clear, basically the old one was a bit confusing: you (and Diana) interpreted that one confidently removes the uncertain, meaning ignoring it because of its lack of consistence. In that interpretation both are the same thing, like she said.

There is no connection with the negativism/positivism. The glass/sum examples on Wikisocion, which I think confused you, are examples of quantities, amounts, which both are known, definite and measurable, but dealing with the uncertain is very different.
For the sum collecting case, I can give you a Merry/Serious example: the sum required for the project is unknown.
- Merry: "we first have to know the required sum to start collecting"
- Serious: "we don't need to know the required sum to start collecting. If we pass it, we will give the difference back."
This is always a reason of quarrel in societies and a good example where the Merry are considered uncooperative.
The wiksocion articles examples are bit inaccurate. I tried to find better source, but couldn't find right now. But the negativists think in negatives, in their thinking they eliminate what isn't/they don't like etc.. While positivists think the opposite way.

It's basically said in this part though: Positivists focus on the presence of something, whereas negativists focus primarily on the absence of something.

So a serious negativist would start an elimination process. But now I think I know what you were aiming at, you shouldn't remove what's uncertain, you can only remove what's certainly not.