Re: Definition of real number ℝ --infinitesimal--

Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com> writes:

olcott <polcott333@gmail.com> writes:

On 4/3/2024 12:23 PM, Keith Thompson wrote:

"Fred. Zwarts" <F.Zwarts@HetNet.nl> writes:
[...]

Olcott is unable to understand  what it says in the context of the
real number system, even when spelled out to him in great
detail. Therefore he sticks to his own (wrong) interpretation and then
starts to fight it. Fighting windmills.

Might I suggest waiting to reply to olcott until he says something
*new*.  It could save a lot of time and effort.

>
0.999... everyone knows that this means infinitely repeating digits
that never reach 1.0 and lies about it. I am not going to start lying
about it.

>
(I don't read everything olcott writes, but that *might* be something
new.)
>
Nobody here is lying.  (I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt.)
Some people here are wrong.
>
You might take a moment to think about *why* so many people would be
motivated to lie about something like this.  Is it really plausible
that multiple people (a) know in their hearts that you're right,
but (b) deliberately pretend that you're wrong?

PO is in a genuine bind here.  He has almost no ability to understand
other people's mental states, let alone their reasoning.  He can't begin
to comprehend what others think, and he struggles to understand what
they write, so he often thinks that people are lying or playing head
games.  He's accused me of this numerous times, and (the final straw for
me) that I must be doing this deliberately and sadistically.  What other
conclusion can he come to?

Every time PO paraphrases someone's reply to him he gets it wrong.  He
simply does not know what people are saying but since they disagree with
something that is obvious to him, they must be stupid, lying or playing
head games.

The classic technique in mediation where each person must reflect back
to the other what it is they believe the other is saying would, were he
capable of it, be useful here.  But he would fail at every step.

--
Ben.