Are human beings hardwired to believe that a whole number that is odd cannot also be even?

[Boojatta]

You may choose to ignore the poll question itself and instead focus on the following meta-question: Is the poll question clear as posed? Alternatively, is it necessary to go beyond conventional usage and identify precisely what concepts of "even" and "odd" are being used? For example, we know that 5 is odd and 12 is even, but can we guarantee that no controversy will arise when we examine very large numbers that haven't previously been studied in depth?

[tularetom]

1. I wanted to answer the poll question but wasn't given the opportunity

:shrug:

[Boojatta]

2. Who is to answer for that? At least you apparently had an opportunity...

to post a reply message in this thread.

Anyway, I forgot to mention in the Original Post that there's widespread agreement not only that five is odd, but also that five isn't even.

As a poll creator, I do not deliberately exclude a conjunction of statements merely because I believe that one of the statements in such a conjunction is a false statement.

Nor do I deliberately exclude a conjunction of statements merely because I believe that it's not possible for that particular combination of statements to be true.

Of course, not everyone has that kind of policy. Suppose that Senator McCain hears rumors that George W. Bush was born in Saudi Arabia, brought to America as an infant, and his birth certificate forged by OPEC to make it possible for him to occupy the White House. Suppose that Senator McCain also heard, from completely different sources, rumors to the effect that George W. Bush is an Arab. In that case, Senator McCain might post in DU's September 11 forum a poll with options such as the following:

#1. "George W. Bush was born in Saudi Arabia and George W. Bush is an Arab."

#2. "George W. Bush was born in Saudi Arabia and George W. Bush is a loyal American."

I would also include the following option:

#3. "George W. Bush is an Arab and George W. Bush is a loyal American."

However, as far as I know, a poll created by Senator McCain would be unlikely to include option #3.

[ZombieHorde]

3. "Is the poll question clear as posed?"

Yes it is.

Side note concerning additional text in polls: Many people do not seem to read the text out side of the subject line and poll options on DU poll threads. I have tried enlarging the text and changing the the color of the text, such as blue, in order to increase the number of DU poll voters who actually read the additional text. Enlarging and color altering the text seems to increase the likelihood the text will be read.

[Boojatta]

7. Okay, thank you for that.

Now, is there any chance of motivating you to post a reply about your answer to the poll question itself?

[anonymous171]

4. How do you come up with this stuff? nt

[mikelewis]

5. The number 2 is a whole number that is odd and is also even.

[Boojatta]

6. Do you mean odd in some figurative sense?

If not, then please provide the assumptions and step-by-step reasoning that you rely upon to support your claim that two is odd.

[Silent3]

11. 2 is the only even PRIME number.

I think that's what you were trying to remember. 2 is definitely not odd, but it is prime.

[DeSwiss]

8. Boojatta....

...you're the only thing that's odd around here in R/T. (j/k) Like your poll subjects are always odd. But insightful nonetheless.

- Even so, that's also why we love you..........


{To address the poll's query with a more existential meaning in answer to your question: the numbers 5, 12, 3, or 699 -- no matter which number one chooses, none of them are either odd, nor even. Those are just more words that we've given to concepts about numbers in order to break down their meaning into smaller pieces we can barely understand. Because the true meaning of it all totally escapes us.}





on edit: spelling

[Boojatta]

9. "we can barely understand"

Preliminary questions:
Do you agree that six is whole number?

Do you agree that the number six is even?

Do you agree that the number six isn't odd?

Now, if we begin at the number six and proceed by adding one or subtracting one, then we arrive at an odd number.

If we proceed from there, and wander about, at liberty to at any time add or subtract one, but never to stay for two consecutive steps at the same number, then we never encounter two consecutive numbers that are both even or both odd. In other words, even and odd numbers alternate.

I consider the above bolded sentences to constitute a rather uncontroversial claim that is much closer to the core of fully understood things than to the boundary between what is understood and what is not understood.

Of course, it might be impossible to prove that or any similar claim unless one is permitted to rely upon:

(a) a definition of the meaning of "even" that allows one to replace a statement involving the word "even" with a logically equivalent statement that doesn't involve it; and

(b) something similar for the word "odd"; and

(c) some principles of logic; and perhaps

(depending on exactly what definitions we use for "even" and "odd" and exactly what we mean by "principles of logic" versus "elementary mathematical truths")

(d) some elementary mathematical truths.

[Boojatta]

10. Kick

[Dogmudgeon]

12. Are numerical "Odd" and "Even" qualia?

That's a less legalistic, probably more productive question.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qualia">What are Qualia?)

--d!

[Boojatta]

13. Kick