The 'logic' And Certainty (And Perils) Of '2 + 2 = 4'

[scherado]

I don't see my name on the list could you do me a big favor and add it?

.

Patience, all in good time. I populate my list. You are responsible for your list.

 

On the other hand, if you mail me a fifty dollar bill, I will add you to my list. PM me with the details.

 

While I wait for that, do you think it dangerous to apply "2+2 logic" to complex subjects, such as biological evolution, or cosmology and such?

[scherado]

Allrighty then, let's get the "fun" part out of the way:

 

In the early 90's I bought the CD White Bread Blues, by Victims Family and in the song, Supermarket Nightmare can be found these lines:

.

I know "we are not what we eat, we are what we don't *****"

And that is it.

 

(* Hugh Romney)

.

(_^_)

 

Rhymes with "it", begins with "sh"; The bleep word having the synonym "excrete": We are not what we eat, we are what we don't excrete.

 

Having disposed of that "truism", on to the meaning of "2 + 2".

 

In the grade-school classroom, we learned addition of....

 

...of what? And how?

[scherado]

...

Claim: 2+2=4

Rebuttal: You're not a Lord, therefore you're wrong.

...

.

...

In my world, everyone is entitled to a theory so long as it adds up as well as does 2+2. [emoticon omitted for clarity] What we know is that there followed tranquility. But the mystery still exists. The authors say "Great rewards lie in store for those who can resolve this mystery.

...

.

Let us begin...to "separate the men from the boys." (I will post, later, some detail on the error of "you are what you eat" so-called truism.)

 

The first thing is that I change the "2+2" part of the "claim"; let's allow "2 + 2" to be substituted with "1 + 3" (or 3+1).

 

The reason is to remove the irrelevant (and erroneous) impression of symmetry between the operands. The putative logic that is associated with the appeal to "2 + 2", must apply generally--no one would assert that the logic applies only for the natural number '2'; therefore, we can use x + y = z, where all are of the set Natural Numbers (I don't use "Whole Numbers" as to not drag in zero, though some include zero in that set--not for this topic.)

 

I will pause here to determine whether anyone disputes the above--or would like to "anticipate" where I am going with this treatment of "2+2", the logic of, (or "2+2=4, if you like).

[phillip1882]

if you agree with what the symbol '2' represents what the symbol '+' represents, what the symbol '=' represents, and what he symbol '4' represents, the equation 2 + 2   = 4 can be rewritten as 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 1 +1 +1 +1. clearly you have the same thing  on both sides making them equivalent.