Why are odd and even numbers a philosophical illusion?

Answer 1

Is this question up for debate? It is no illusion to call a number even or odd. An even number is divisible by 2 in all cases. A pair is a pair, meaning two no matter how many pairs are found within any given number. Those numbers that are one plus a pair are odd. As in 1 or 3. Is this not true? If a different philosophy exist you have not provided it. The fact that 2 divided by 2 equals zero is of no consequence since zero is nothing anyways. the philosophy here is that you started with nothing and you ended with nothing, yet, if you have one you can never have less. Is that not odd?

Answer 2

They are illusions in the sense that we (the observers) ascribe some meaning to something being "odd" or "even". Even numbers are simply "the set of all integers that are evenly divisible by two", while odd numbers are "the set of all integers that are not evenly divisible by two".

We could just as easily set up a criteria called "ort" and "blort", where all the ort numbers are evenly divisible by three, while the blort numbers are not evenly divisible by three. The orts and blorts have no special properties, just like the odds and evens have no special properties.

The term "illusion" in this sense means that there seems to be something of importance, but there really is none; "philosophical" is used in the sense of something found through logic or analysis.

Answer 3

For the same reason that the statement "numbers are not interesting" is a self-referential paradox.

HTH ☺


Doug