2+2=5 I Can Prove It!!

Way back when I was in college, a next door dorm neighbor asked me a question he was stumped on. His professor challenged them to prove 2+2=5

which he just could not fathom so he asked me. (Note: I also had to show this same guy how to use tweezers so bear that in mind.) It took me a matter of a few moments to figure out the answer. It took me much longer to explain it to the tweezers guy though.

Here it is for all of you to read and muse on. 2, +, =, 5 all have something in common with any word or the following: 4, b, Au, z, $, @, *, googolplex, :p, %, -, etc. All of them are the same in one regard. They are all symbols. I’d type in Chinese Mandarin symbols but my keyboard isn’t prepped for that. What is a symbol? Quite simply, it is a character created either digitally or drawn that has a prescribed meaning to it. Common understanding of what those meanings are gives us the various alphabets, the number system, measuring systems, mathematics, chemical symbols, algebra and so on. Without common understanding, it would be chaos with no individual or group being able to understand another.

So how does 2+2=5?

First, you should know the professor who posed the challenge was a Philosophy professor not mathematics based. So the answer was easy. We’ll redefine the meanings of particular symbols and systems to meet our needs. So instead of 1,2,3,4,5 we will now make it 2,5,3,1,4 in that order. Why? Because I said so. So by my new numerical system, 2+2=5. Don’t like it, tough. I made it up so by Philosophy it works right?

Now there really is a solid reason why I am typing this entry. It is not to flex my mental muscle and redefine mathematics and number systems. It is to prove two points. The first point is to demonstrate that I truly can type a yarn of total baloney and make it sound decent. Give me 10 pages and 15-20 resources and I can make any topic sound great. But that isn’t the key point.

The key point is others can do the exact same thing. However, they are more persistent with pressing their philosophy upon others. Whenever you say something loud enough and long enough especially with enough financial backing, you will convert others to your thinking and they will spread the distortion. Sooner or later they change a few words and then manage to get it into the curriculum.

Wonder why I desire to know the truth and not someone’s opinion? Wonder why I want proof and not some cooked up study? Now you know. BS is BS no matter how you dress it. This is no secret nor is it new. But it is used to perfection in our society and education system.

Now is there a quote I can draw from? Yup, I think there is.

“Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it.” - Adolf Hitler