Patrons Only: 2 + 2 = Please God At Long Last Send Your Asteroid
What's 2 + 2? If you're anything like us, you probably think the answer is obvious (6). But as James Lindsay found out, things are a bit more complicated on Twitter, where everything is up for debate, there are no rules, and the points don't matter. Join us as we recount the tale of Lindsay's decision to go to Twitter-war against throngs of _________ Studies adjuncts and students, and to write an 8,000+ -word article, all in an attempt to prove something that no one who isn't too online would possibly believe is even up for debate. Is this all as dumb as it sounds? Yes. Yes it is. (Except when we learned that it took 350 pages to prove that 1 + 1 = 2, which is actually kinda cool.)
Show notes/Links:
James Lindsay: 2+2 Never Equals 5 - https://newdiscourses.com/2020/08/2-plus-2-never-equals-5/
Math Values: Of Course, 2 + 2 = 4 is Cultural. That Doesn’t Mean the Sum Could be Anything Else. - https://www.mathvalues.org/masterblog/of-course-2-2-4-is-cultural-that-doesnt-mean-the-sum-could-be-anything-else?format=amp&__twitter_impression=true
Liam Bright with a very good thread on how these mini-culture-wars work online: https://twitter.com/lastpositivist/status/1289180312224690179
Alan Levinovitz on the fact that this is actually something some math types discuss: https://twitter.com/AlanLevinovitz/status/1290790815137247233
Reddit: How can 2+2=5? - https://www.reddit.com/r/math/comments/5448oj/how_can_225/
Kareem Carr's thread: https://twitter.com/kareem_carr/status/1291055417989226499
Timothy Gowers' thread: https://twitter.com/wtgowers/status/1290219038614798338
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