What's the term for the concept of those who insist that 2+2=5?

[Tomos Davies]

What's the term for the concept of those who insist that 2+2=5?

In the canonical Android newsgroup:
http://tinyurl.com/comp-mobile-android
There was a poster today who insisted that changing the IMEI in the USA was
illegal, referring to a Senate Bill from May of 2012 which went nowhere
(rightly so).
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/comp.mobile.android/42JcaOY1NOo/yW2TxRV-CgAJ

While changing the IMEI is trivial on Android (you can set it to change
randomly on report, and to change depending on which software calls it, for
example), the person insisted that the mere act of changing the IMEI "is"
fraud in the USA, where others pointed out that fraud requires a complex
set of associated actions and interactions, and where doing anything in
order to facilitate fraud requires a cavalcade of associated actions and
responses to "be" fraud, where changing an IMEI would be the least of them
indeed.

In responding back, I first thought of "doublethink", but does the 2+2=5
have a proper name?

Is it promulgating a falsehood?

What's the term for the concept of those who insist that 2+2=5?

[Parity Error]

Post by Tomos Davies
What's the term for the concept of those who insist that 2+2=5?

'mistaken'?

[Jenny Telia]

Post by Tomos Davies
What's the term for the concept of those who insist that 2+2=5?

'Deluded'. Better still "Trumpists"

[Peter Duncanson [BrE]]

On Sun, 14 May 2017 04:53:11 -0000 (UTC), Tomos Davies

Post by Tomos Davies
What's the term for the concept of those who insist that 2+2=5?

Aristotelian?

http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/20103-the-whole-is-greater-than-the-sum-of-its-parts

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
- Aristotle

[Ned Latham]

Post by Tomos Davies
What's the term for the concept of those who insist that 2+2=5?

Innumerate.

----snip----

[Mack A. Damia]

On Sun, 14 May 2017 04:53:11 -0000 (UTC), Tomos Davies

Post by Tomos Davies
What's the term for the concept of those who insist that 2+2=5?
http://tinyurl.com/comp-mobile-android
There was a poster today who insisted that changing the IMEI in the USA was
illegal, referring to a Senate Bill from May of 2012 which went nowhere
(rightly so).
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/comp.mobile.android/42JcaOY1NOo/yW2TxRV-CgAJ
While changing the IMEI is trivial on Android (you can set it to change
randomly on report, and to change depending on which software calls it, for
example), the person insisted that the mere act of changing the IMEI "is"
fraud in the USA, where others pointed out that fraud requires a complex
set of associated actions and interactions, and where doing anything in
order to facilitate fraud requires a cavalcade of associated actions and
responses to "be" fraud, where changing an IMEI would be the least of them
indeed.
In responding back, I first thought of "doublethink", but does the 2+2=5
have a proper name?
Is it promulgating a falsehood?
What's the term for the concept of those who insist that 2+2=5?

Gainsayer, Gainsay, Gainsaid - depending upon usage.

[Tomos Davies]

Post by Mack A. Damia
Gainsayer, Gainsay, Gainsaid - depending upon usage.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gainsay
to declare to be untrue or invalid
deny, gainsay, contradict, contravene

That's an interesting word, because "gain" seems to confer a positive,
along with "sayer" which is neutral, and yet, a gainsayer is contravening.

It's close, but it doesn't confer the attribute of actually being wrong
(and knowing it's wrong - but promoting it as truth).

But it's close.

[Peter Duncanson [BrE]]

On Mon, 15 May 2017 14:10:03 -0000 (UTC), Tomos Davies

Post by Tomos Davies

Post by Mack A. Damia
Gainsayer, Gainsay, Gainsaid - depending upon usage.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gainsay
to declare to be untrue or invalid
deny, gainsay, contradict, contravene
That's an interesting word, because "gain" seems to confer a positive,
along with "sayer" which is neutral, and yet, a gainsayer is contravening.

It's a different meaning of "gain". The prefix "gain-" is related to the
word "against". The both have the sense of "opposing".

Post by Tomos Davies
It's close, but it doesn't confer the attribute of actually being wrong
(and knowing it's wrong - but promoting it as truth).
But it's close.

[Don Phillipson]

Post by Tomos Davies
What's the term for the concept of those who insist that 2+2=5?

Perverse is the only term that suits, because the proposition is
easily demonstrated untrue, but this proof does not inhibit the
continued insistence.