[dredmorbius]

"As it is" in this case is not static to time. It includes dynamics, values, relationships, and heuristics of evolution.

What I find hard to understand is that you pit realism as the antonym of optimsim. The correct antonym is pessimism.

Both optimism and pessimism are biases. Realism is the absense of bias.

[ThomPete]

I don't pit it as an antonym. I am simply responding to your claim that it's realism that moves things forward :)

Realists are navigators, optimists are starters, pessimists are never-starters :)

You need bias to move things forward.

[dredmorbius]

The word you're looking for isn't "optimism", it's "hope".

That's perseverence without denial.

[ThomPete]

no optimist have hope, you cant be a hope. I am perfectly aware of the words i use :)

[dredmorbius]

The word describing someone having hope is hopeful.

[ThomPete]

Yes thats still not the same as a A realist, A pessimist or AN optimist.

[dredmorbius]

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27222190

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27223307

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27225350

[dredmorbius]

And the point is that you need multiple factors.

Realism to correctly assess the situation and dynamics.

Hope and/or perseverence to follow those through to their potential.

Again: optimism denies reality. It gets you into trouble eventually, even if it can glide over some rough spots. At best, optimism can limit self-sabotage or inhibition. It does nothing to change the Universe itself.