Talk:Equals sign

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[edit] Definition of equality

what does "equal" mean without begging the question? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.138.62.148 (talk • contribs) .

The following argument is due to Bertrand Russell (who used it against defining the word good) and I'm no doubt presenting it badly, but here goes: You are obviously familiar with the word equal already or you would not have worded the question that way. Therefore, if I answered you with a dictionary definition like "as great as, the same as, alike in quantity or value", you would gain no new information and call it "begging the question". What you're really looking for is some non-trivial statement about equality, like "two things are equal if they can be exchanged without consequence in all circumstances", but that's not really a definition, it's a statement about the concept equality that doesn't have much to do with the meaning of the word equality itself. Dig? —Keenan Pepper 19:03, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Bumper Stickers

I've seen some bumper stickers with the equal sign on them. What do they mean? 69.138.62.148 17:11, 21 June 2006 (UTC)

Good question. —Keenan Pepper 19:03, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Sorry

oopsies...i didnt know i could do that...srry —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 65.9.100.142 (talk • contribs) .

No problem, just be careful in the future. —Keenan Pepper 19:03, 20 September 2006 (UTC)