I have been wondering if my 7 Belief systems (eg, 2016 summary, 2019 update, 2023 update) each have an opposite. My 2021 blog stated: The opposite of love is indifference, not hate. My recent (Dutch) blog, Does everything have an opposite?, wondered about indifference as its opposite.
Obviously, we could argue about these opposites:
- Love vs hate;
- Money vs debts, liabilities, poverty;
- Politics vs authoritarianism
- Religion vs atheism;
- Philosophy vs ambiguity, scepticism / skepticism;
- Science vs disorder, ignorance;
- Truth vs falsehoods, fiction, lies.

My 2021 diagram (above) shows that the opposite is (often) more complex than we assume. In my view, indifference matches with all of the 7 Beliefs systems (ie, 2016 version)
I seriously doubt that it is possible having no beliefs (eg, in family, friendship, music, relationship, sport, work). However, it is certainly possible being indifferent towards family, friendship, music, relationship, sport and/or work. Hence, an unbelief is not the opposite of a belief.
“Apathy, also referred to as indifference, is a lack of feeling, emotion, interest, or concern about something. It is a state of indifference, or the suppression of emotions such as concern, excitement, motivation, or passion.”
Source: Apathy (Wiki)
Perhaps, the rather low probabilities of apathy, as well as its medical background, explains why we overlook indifference as an opposite:
Apathy, while relatively common in specific clinical populations, is not particularly rare in the general population. It’s estimated that 2% of healthy young people and 6% of healthy older people experience apathy. However, apathy is a frequent symptom in various neuropsychiatric disorders, and its prevalence can be significantly higher within those groups.
Source: Google AI summary
Finally, an Elie Wiesel quote that appears to confirm my blog:
“The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.” Note LO: bold markings in quote by me.
A quote by Elie Wiesel (1928-2016), a “Romanian-born American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel laureate, and Holocaust survivor”
L’Indifference (2004) by Cafe Accordion Orchestra
AllMusic, band, video, no Wikipedia
Note: all markings (bold, italic, underlining) by LO unless in quotes or stated otherwise.
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