If I do not have access to a measurement tool with the degree of precision I want, and I am forced to compromise based on estimates (a common outcome in street vending, depending on the street), there are many situations where the 2+2 = 5 result is the fairer one
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You get that, right Do you understand I'm talking about a completely commonsense, real-life problem here That there are plenty of situations where dogmatically saying 2+2 = 4 is a way for me to cheat you
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The more general way to phrase what I'm talking about is "Weigh them all together" If the scale has a fudge factor then adding up separate results from it will make it worse But the "2+2=5" idea is absolutely an accurate way of describing it
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Replying to @arthur_affect @perdricof
Imagine opening up a street market with a scale like that.
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Shit are you not aware that this is a real thing, that you always ask the person to weigh all the shit together if they can That weighing them separately (and rounding by a bit each time) and then summing them is a way to fuck you over
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Obviously not on a matter of whole pounds or kilos, but every little bit adds up, that's why they use a small scale and do a bunch of weighings Man no one ever actually taught you to shop at a street market huh
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Replying to @arthur_affect @perdricof
1) Your example is still more extreme than reality (actual scales). 2) we’re talking about people understanding the meaning of || || and ||||. Which you’re taking issue with.
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Replying to @Aya62335284 @perdricof
Well, I am stating that people do understand that meaning, it doesn't actually need to be "taught" in any meaningful way, and that people talking about complications or reframings of those symbols are doing something important and useful you stubbornly refuse to understand
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Replying to @arthur_affect @perdricof
People interested in reframing symbols because they supposedly have a colonialist bent of some sort are interested in doing something other than something “important.”
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The way I would phrase it is that stuff like not being aware you have to weigh all your purchases together because even a fair scale is imprecise and leads to rounding is a minor issue The big society-wide biases like a colonial and imperial mindset are a major issue
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Minor issues tend to be simpler and major issues tend to be more complex But the general awareness that shit is complicated and that there's no simple, "neutral" set of symbols that serves as a crystal-clear conduit for truth is VERY IMPORTANT
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The ATTITUDE is important, even if the specific examples seem trivial Maybe some kid will never in their life have to learn to use binary or hexadecimal notation but the AWARENESS that the numbers we use are arbitrary is a VITAL HABIT OF THOUGHT
2 replies 3 retweets 11 likes - Show replies
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