Madison Smith

Frances McCue
Honors 205
22 October 2014
Does Five Plus Five Equal Ten?
Our number system is a primary and indispensible aspect of our society. The number
system is an essential component in the construction of the skyscrapers in the New York skyline
and the market system that regulates the prices of food. The number system is in continual use,
in a variety of forms and so far, it seems to function without error. Skyscrapers do not collapse
and prices do not rise or fall without reason. As a result, the majority of individuals are
confident that five plus five equals ten. However, upon examination of the intrinsic nature of
the number system, one realizes that our seemingly perfect number system is fundamentally
flawed, leaving room to doubt the simple fact that five plus five equals ten.
The foundation of my argument rests on the claim that human nature caused humans to
create a flawed number system. As you will read later, our numerical system is a man-made
system. Man is flawed, and therefore incapable of creating a perfect system. Man is also
capable of overlooking his flaws. As a result, we must doubt the truth of our number system,
and by extent, question that five plus five equals ten.
Before we can argue that five plus five does not necessarily equal ten, we need to define
the terms. The phrase 'not necessarily,' implies that there is no guarantee of truth, and that
there is space to doubt the validity of the statement. For example, Sam usually takes his blue
car to work every morning. If his neighbors see that his car is still in the driveway on a Monday,

and Sam works on Mondays, his neighbors could logically conclude that Sam has not left for
work yet. However, another could argue Sam has not necessarily not left for work yet. Sam
could have rode the bus or walked to work instead of driving his blue car. There is reasonable
evidence to suggest that Sam has not yet left for work because history shows that Sam usually
takes his car. However, we cannot conclude without a doubt that Sam has not left for the work
yet because there is more than one way for Sam to travel to work. In this thesis, the phrase 'not
necessarily' questions the absolute certainty of the statement that five plus five is the same
value as ten.
Similarly, in this setting, the terms 'five' and 'ten' refer to strictly numerical values rather
than for the count for a certain number of objects. In other words, when there is a reference to
the number five, I do not mean five apples or five cars, I simply mean the number five. This
clarification will allow for the simplification of the argument and allow for a argument better
suited to our philosophical needs.
The first premise of this argument claims that man created the modern number system.
Man developed the concept of counting and over time, humans have created symbols to
represent different counts of numbers. Since then, we have been modifying the way in which
we count. Historically, a number of methods have been used, ranging from hieroglyphics to the
Roman numeral system. Our current modern system is base ten, which means that after ten
digits, the numbers in a placeholder begin to repeat. Therefore, the number system that is inuse today is a manufactured system because it was created and modified by man.
However, man is flawed. In this context, the definition of the term 'flawed' is having
made mistakes or bringing more harm than good in one or more instances. For example, a

creature that harms another creature in order to protect its family could be considered a
perfect creature, assuming that it has no other faults, because it did not bring more harm than
good. However, a creature that harms another creature with no reason other than selfish
desires would be considered an imperfect creature. In this context, humans are imperfect
because a) they have historically made mistakes and b) they have brought more harm than
good in one or more instances.
For instance, humans have mistakenly believed in incorrect facts. At one point, humans
believed that the Earth was flat. We believed the land that we were standing on was flat and
concluded that the Earth was flat. We have since concluded that the Earth is in fact, spherical.
Whether, the Earth is actually flat or indeed spherical, as we currently believe, it cannot be flat
and spherical at the same time. Therefore, in one or more of these instances, humans have
been factually wrong and this disqualifies us from perfection.
This example also proves that humans are capable of overlooking their mistakes. If
humans could see that they were making a mistake when they decided the Earth was flat, then
no one would have believed that the Earth was flat. If humans could see every mistake that
they're making at the time that they were making it, then the action would cease the moment
it began, assuming that there was no other factors to prevent it from ceasing. Thus, it is often
when we reflect upon the past that we realize our mistakes.
In addition to an imperfect grasp of facts, there is also evidence to suggest that humans
are fundamentally flawed. Children lie despite the fact that they know lying is morally wrong
and that they face negative consequence for lying. We borrow money that we do not have the
ability to pay back. This is evidence of the fact that humans are tempted, and often

overpowered by greedy desires, which by definition is a quality that disqualifies something

from being perfect because greed brings more harm than good.
Since humans are flawed, we are incapable of creating a perfect system, idea, or object
because perfection cannot be created from something that is imperfect. Moreover, since
humans are capable of overlooking mistakes, it is possible that our numerical system has flaws
that we cannot see. Furthermore, because humans are incapable of creating a perfect system,
idea, or object, we must assume our number system is imperfect. Therefore, because we must
assume that the numerical system is imperfect and since humans are incapable of seeing some
of their own mistakes, we cannot say for certain that five plus five indeed is equal to ten.
That being said, one can argue that many of the commonly used objects in our world are
based off this number system and those objects have not yet failed. Dorm buildings and bridges
are built using this number system. Yet, our dorm buildings still stand strong five decades after
its construction. Bridges hold the weight of dozens of cars at a time. One could claim that their
sturdiness is evidence that our number system is truth.
But, if our system is flawed in a miniscule level or flawed from the foundations up, it is
possible that the flaws are not large to bring down a building or that the system actually
compensates for its flaws. For example, one of the flaws that exists in our number system is the
concept of . is a never ending number and therefore its exact value will never be known.
However, the number is still used in the calculations of circles, which are used every day in
buildings, murals, and the like. The circles used in these buildings are created using an incorrect
value of , yet these circles, and by extent, these buildings still serve their purpose. A flaw in a

building does not necessarily have to bring the building down. A flaw does not mean that it
cannot serve its purpose.
I concede that evidence demonstrates that the number system still performs its function
with reasonable accuracy. Therefore, while we must acknowledge that mistakes exist within the
number system, generally, the mistakes do not significantly interfere with the day-to-day use of
the system. Therefore, it is important to note that it is the system's history, not its truth, which
allows us to use the system regularly without the fear of its failure.
This brings us back around to the original that thesis- five plus five does not necessarily
equal ten. The fallibility that we have proved exists within the number system lends itself to the
entire number system as a whole, which includes basic arithmetic like five plus five equals ten.
Hence, as long as the number system is human-made and humans are capable of making and
overlooking mistakes, there exists a possibility that five plus five equals ten is an inaccurate
piece of information.