One day, a student challenged Bertrand Russell :
"Given 2 + 2 = 5, can it be deduced that you are the Pope?"
"Certainly" replied the great logician...
"Think of it for a while. Let's suppose that 2 + 2 = 5...
(humorous reasoning follows)
..... then I am the Pope.
Try to reconstruct BR’s “reasoning”.
Suppose 2+2=5. Subtract 2 from both sides to get 2=3. Subtract 1 from both sides to get 1=2. Now, the Pope and I are 2 people. Since 1=2, the Pope and I are 1 person. Therefore, I am the Pope.
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Posted by Math Man
on 2015-11-24 15:15:23 |
2+2
