On Mon, Dec 30, 2019 at 11:47 AM Steven D'Aprano <st...@pearwood.info> wrote: > > On Mon, Dec 30, 2019 at 08:30:41AM +1100, Chris Angelico wrote: > > > > Especially since it fails quite a few commonsense tests for whether or > > > not something is a number: > [...] > > > The answer in all four cases is No. If something doesn't quack like a > > > duck, doesn't swim like a duck, and doesn't walk like a duck, and is > > > explicitly called Not A Duck, would we insist that it's actually a duck? > > > > Be careful: This kind of logic and intuition doesn't always hold true > > even for things that we actually DO call numbers. The counting numbers > > follow logical intuition, but you can't count the number of spoons on > > a table and get a result of "negative five" or "the square root of > > two" or "3 + 2i". > > That's because none of those examples are counting numbers :-) > > My set of "commonsense tests" weren't intended to be an exhaustive or > bulletproof set of tests for numberness. They were intended to be > simple, obvious and useful tests: if it quacks, swims and walks like a > duck, it's probably a duck. The silent Legless Burrowing Duck being a > rare exception.[1]
Exactly my point! Counting numbers follow logical intuition; but you attested that you could use logical intuition to figure out if something is a "number". Not a "counting number". Logical intuition does NOT explain all the behaviours of non-counting numbers, and you can't say "oh this is illogical ergo it's not a number". The logic of logical intuition is illogical. :) ChrisA _______________________________________________ Python-ideas mailing list -- python-ideas@python.org To unsubscribe send an email to python-ideas-le...@python.org https://mail.python.org/mailman3/lists/python-ideas.python.org/ Message archived at https://mail.python.org/archives/list/python-ideas@python.org/message/SISHXISB6DDIZYMHROOO3PFFSDR6NMKJ/ Code of Conduct: http://python.org/psf/codeofconduct/
