# Mathematics doesn't provide universal truth with human perspective being irrelevant

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mathematics-doesnt-provide-universal-truth-with-human-perspective-being-irrelevant/573286>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [March 3, 2011, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mathematics-doesnt-provide-universal-truth-with-human-perspective-being-irrelevant/573286 "2011-03-03T00:40:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mathematics-doesnt-provide-universal-truth-with-human-perspective-being-irrelevant/573286/61 "2011-04-29T03:48:58Z")

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> [@s1ay3r19](#):
>
> 6÷2(1+2)=
> 
> 1 or 9?
> 
> If you asked 1million people it would be almost 50/50  
> Don’t seem to universal to me

The people giving different answers are interpreting the given expression using different rules.

What’s universal is the fact that everyone who uses the same rules of interpretation when reading the given expression will give the same answer when asked what number the expression evaluates to.

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**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mathematics-doesnt-provide-universal-truth-with-human-perspective-being-irrelevant/573286/62 "2011-04-29T05:40:31Z")

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I’d like to see someone split the atom or make a simple machine thinking 8+4=84. Calvin is wrong, his dad is right.

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**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mathematics-doesnt-provide-universal-truth-with-human-perspective-being-irrelevant/573286/63 "2011-04-29T10:19:56Z")

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And this is all going on over in GQ also. Calvin is right. His dad is right too, but only in that dull dad-like way. Calvin is right in that way that leads to the understanding of the universe.

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