random

[David C. Ullrich]

On Sat, 02 Jun 2001 23:40:49 -0700, Tim Roberts <timr at probo.com>
wrote:

>Lulu of the Lotus-Eaters <mertz at gnosis.cx> wrote:
>>
>>But if you are not happy with mere physical/empirical impossibility, it
>>works equally well for mathematical impossibles:
>>
>>  <2+2=5> IMPLIES <2+3=6>
>>
>>works fine by application of Peano arithmetic.
>
>This brings to mind an old joke.  A philosophy professor lecturing his
>class states, "given any false statement, I can prove any other statement."
>
>A student stands up and challenges "OK, given 3 equals 8, prove you are the
>pope."
>
>The professor thinks for a moment.  "All right, 3 equals 8.  Adding 2 to
>both sides, we get 5 equals 10.  We divide both sides by 5, and get 1
>equals 2.  Now, I think everyone will acknowledge that the pope and I are
>two people.  Since we have shown that 1 equals 2, we conclude that the pope
>and I are one person."

I think that's Bertrand Russel again.

>- Tim Roberts, timr at probo.com
>  Providenza & Boekelheide, Inc.



David C. Ullrich
*********************
"Sometimes you can have access violations all the 
time and the program still works." (Michael Caracena, 
comp.lang.pascal.delphi.misc 5/1/01)