# Assuming Things Are Not The Way They Are Would You Believe That They Are The Way They Aren't **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 4, 2011, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assuming-things-are-not-the-way-they-are-would-you-believe-that-they-are-the-way-they-arent/577205 "2011-04-04T22:46:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assuming-things-are-not-the-way-they-are-would-you-believe-that-they-are-the-way-they-arent/577205/41 "2011-04-08T03:42:08Z")
I might have a bit of a hard time. Have you been listening to [Weird Al](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05av9iJvgiQ)? ---
**Author:** ![surrounded\_by\_literalists](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8baadc/32.png) [@surrounded\_by\_literalists](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/surrounded_by_literalists)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assuming-things-are-not-the-way-they-are-would-you-believe-that-they-are-the-way-they-arent/577205/42 "2011-04-08T05:41:09Z")
…and then I divide by zero. Right? ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assuming-things-are-not-the-way-they-are-would-you-believe-that-they-are-the-way-they-arent/577205/43 "2011-04-08T13:13:53Z")
I find the entire field of botany to be exactly like that. Tomatoes are berries, strawberries aren’t, and cucumbers are scientifically defined to be yellow fruits. ---
**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assuming-things-are-not-the-way-they-are-would-you-believe-that-they-are-the-way-they-arent/577205/44 "2011-04-08T18:25:00Z")
Maybe. If things weren’t the way they are, I’d have good empirical evidence that they aren’t the way they are, so I would believe that they aren’t the way they are. If, however, I didn’t know that things weren’t the way they are, then I’d believe that they aren’t the way they are. Duh. Any other questions? ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assuming-things-are-not-the-way-they-are-would-you-believe-that-they-are-the-way-they-arent/577205/45 "2011-04-08T20:08:45Z")
> [@Scribble](#): > > Any other questions? When will the trains meet in Des Moines? _prepares to take notes_ ---
**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assuming-things-are-not-the-way-they-are-would-you-believe-that-they-are-the-way-they-arent/577205/46 "2011-04-09T03:00:03Z")
Which trains? The ones that are the way they weren’t, or the ones that weren’t the way they are? Or the ones that always were the way they are, or never were the way they weren’t? And where’s the other dollar? ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assuming-things-are-not-the-way-they-are-would-you-believe-that-they-are-the-way-they-arent/577205/47 "2011-04-09T04:05:11Z")
It’s more like the scene from that movie. Remember? There was that song. And that guy, you know, he did that thing- with the stuff, and he was in it just after that other one he did with what’s-her-name. Remember her? Yeah, she was in that tv show, the one with the other song that should have been a hit but wasn’t. I miss the dog. ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assuming-things-are-not-the-way-they-are-would-you-believe-that-they-are-the-way-they-arent/577205/48 "2011-04-09T04:19:07Z")
What’s the difference between a duck? > [@WordMan](#): > > Could you - with a box? > Could you, should you - with a fox? > Sounds like a pesky paradox… Don’t ask me how I know this, but, you shouldn’t **ever** with a fox. Unless it’s Schrodinger’s foxbox. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assuming-things-are-not-the-way-they-are-would-you-believe-that-they-are-the-way-they-arent/577205/49 "2011-04-09T04:32:29Z")
Neither one can whistle. ---
**Author:** ![\_mostly\_Harmless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/9d8465/32.png) [@\_mostly\_Harmless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_mostly_Harmless)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assuming-things-are-not-the-way-they-are-would-you-believe-that-they-are-the-way-they-arent/577205/50 "2011-04-09T04:36:40Z")
> [@Autolycus](#): > > > [@Guinastasia](#): > > > > Is this the real life? > > Naw it’s just fantasy. And everyone in this thread is caught in a landslide with no escape from the reality that this thread actually exists. ---
**Author:** ![scratch\_llll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@scratch\_llll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scratch_llll)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assuming-things-are-not-the-way-they-are-would-you-believe-that-they-are-the-way-they-arent/577205/51 "2011-04-09T06:44:56Z")
Well you never know what will happen but it just did. You have to believe that surely. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assuming-things-are-not-the-way-they-are-would-you-believe-that-they-are-the-way-they-arent/577205.md?page=2)