nshepperd comments on How to Convince Me That 2 + 2 = 3 - Less Wrong

52 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 27 September 2007 11:00PM

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Comment author: nshepperd 23 March 2015 02:35:05AM *  0 points [-]

This hack would have the unfortunate side effect of making every addition with at least one term less than or equal to 3 and a result greater than 3 come out to 1 less than it's supposed to, however.

I think it would even result in any addition with a term ≤ 3 and result > 3 come out to exactly 3, unless you have some sort of rule for S + SSS0 sometimes becoming SSSS0 instead of SSS0.

Note also that an enterprising soul can line up the two steps:

S0 + SSS0
⁠ 0 + SSS0

And notice that they are confused, because the SSS0's are identical, even though they shouldn't be, because Sx + y = x + Sy was the rule applied and Sy ≠ y.

A brain hack that made all of this work is surely possible, of course, but it seems like it would have to be a bit more systematic.

Comment author: dxu 27 March 2015 10:41:56PM 0 points [-]

A brain hack that made all of this work is surely possible, of course, but it seems like it would have to be a bit more systematic.

That seems fair. Would you agree that my original point (that your grasp of logic stems from a physical brain and can be muddled) stands, though?