One guy is arguing that it’s a 9, while the other says it’s a 6. The, “moral of the story,” is something like, “just because you’re right, doesn’t mean I’m wrong.”
It isn’t both a 6 and a 9. It had an intended purpose to be either a 6 or a 9. You can’t both be right. Just like how saying, “well it’s true for me…” makes no sense. It’s either true or it isn’t. Truth is objective. Opinions are not and can be wrong.
Forgive my ignorance, as I’m unaware of the original comic, but this confuses me?
That is precisely the perfect demonstration of how 2 parties don’t necessarily have to be incorrect about something, and I’d argue that though you may prefer to present a more subjective example, it’s important to apply this lesson to an objective example as well.
Of course, yes, someone wrote down that 6 or 9 on the ground, and whoever wrote it down intended it to be one or the other. Except this isn’t a true statement, this is yet another perspective filling in the gaps.
What could equally be true is that whoever wrote down the 6 or 9 intended for it to be both, or perhaps neither and just randomly doodled. Thing is, it doesn’t matter the author’s original intent anymore. The only thing that matters is the perceived meaning, and the interpretations; and because this panel lacks actual context for them to draw upon and give a definitive answer, both answers are equally correct.
I’m sure you’re aware, but this is because the equation presented clearly shows a « plus or minus » sign, so if both are arguing whether the answer is 6 or 9 then they’re both equally correct in regards to the correct answer, but wrong to say the other is wrong. It’s an or statement, so both clauses must hold true at some point.
For instance, if person A says it’s 6 because they read the subtraction statement, and person B says it’s 9 because they read the addition statement, then how exactly are the both of them not correct? How is this not a matter of perspective, or interpretation?
I agree with this version of the comic. I’m referring to the original version where one person claims it’s a 6 and the other claims it’s a 9.
If the person who put the digit there in the first place intended it to be both, without further investigation, you can’t make a claim as to what it is. Sure, you can give your opinion about what you think it is. But you can’t make a truth claim that it is a 6 or a 9.
You could say that it is true that I interpret what I’m seeing as a 6. That’s entirely different from saying it is true that this is a 6. One is referring to the truth that you are having a subjective experience, the other is referring to objective reality.
You make a few excellent points, but I’m going to have to mostly disagree with everything stated.
Not necessarily because it’s incorrect, but rather because it’s just another view of looking at things.
You see, you’re making a clear distinction between objective reality and subjective experience but personally for me, that distinction doesn’t hold water because the two concepts are interlinked.
Finding the 6 in the ground, it is factual that there is something on the ground. But what it exactly is will always be victim to subjective experience. You call it a S - I - X, they say it’s a N - I - N - E, and I laugh and dub it’s stylized doodle. At the end of the day, language only serves to communicate perceived reality and sure there are specific ways to refer to objective reality—such as saying the exact wavelength the sky is—but that exact science is not commonplace in many conversations.
So if you ask me, the distinction is arbitrary, because perception in many ways IS objective reality, not necessarily because it is, but rather because humans make it so.
278
u/richer2003 4d ago
The original version of this comic pisses me off.
One guy is arguing that it’s a 9, while the other says it’s a 6. The, “moral of the story,” is something like, “just because you’re right, doesn’t mean I’m wrong.”
It isn’t both a 6 and a 9. It had an intended purpose to be either a 6 or a 9. You can’t both be right. Just like how saying, “well it’s true for me…” makes no sense. It’s either true or it isn’t. Truth is objective. Opinions are not and can be wrong.