homunq comments on Torture vs. Dust Specks - Less Wrong

39 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 30 October 2007 02:50AM

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Comment author: homunq 13 April 2012 01:50:03PM 1 point [-]

I once read the following story about a Russian mathematician. I can't find the source right now.

Cast: Russian mathematician RM, other guy OG

RM: "Truly large numbers don't really exist in the same sense that small ones do."

OG: "That's ridiculous. Consider the powers of two. Does 2ˆ1 exist?""

RM: "Yes."

OG: "OK, does 2ˆ2 exist?"

RM: ".Yes."

OG: "So you'd agree that 2ˆ3 exists?"

RM: "...Yes."

OG: "How about 2ˆ4?"

RM: ".......Yes."

OG: "So this is silly. Where would you ever draw the boundary?"

RM: ".............................................................................................................................................."