Let's Consider

Tuesday, April 26th, 2005 01:36 am
flwyd: (mathnet - to cogitate and to solve)
[personal profile] flwyd
Abraham Lincoln famously said "A house divided against itself cannot stand." (I believe this is also in one of the Gospels in the New Testament.) But is this true? Let's symbolize it:

"A house divided against itself" becomes the following left-hand value:

house ÷ house

Anyone versed in algebra will tell you that x ÷ x = 1. One is known, in narrative math theory, as "unity." So to rephrase Lincoln's anti-secession statement,

A house divided against itself is unity.

Who knew he was such a Taoist?

Note, however, that this analysis does not apply when the house is empty, as 0 ÷ 0 is undefined.

Date: 2005-04-26 03:21 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] simply-inf.livejournal.com
That's the guy from MathNet!

And you're the guy with the shark hat!

My day is made.

Date: 2005-04-26 05:51 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] slyviolet.livejournal.com
An empty house divided against itself will asplode.

Date: 2005-04-26 11:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hattrickflyer.livejournal.com
Wouldn't a house divided AGAINST itself be house / -(house) ?

Date: 2005-04-27 03:49 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] vvvexation.livejournal.com
So unity cannot stand?

Date: 2005-04-27 04:39 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] flwyd.livejournal.com
Well, a table needs at least three legs...

Maybe that's why our government is so messed up. We need more legs.
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