Our most basic assumptions could be a deception.

[d3r31nz1g3]

Evolutionary Farts

Something seems suspicious.

Discuss.

This is the point where I say nothing of value at all just so I can get around "too few words". I have to write even more because I still haven't written enough words. Perhaps this will do it.

[Baby Augustine]

The deception would first of all be that you think they are basic and they aren't.
This is the force of error that originates from an improper use of language.
Logic says that 2 wrong premises/assumptions can still yield a true conclusion

If Elizabeth Taylor is president of the United States, then Elizabeth Taylor must be younger than 35. Elizabeth Taylor is president of the United States. So, Elizabeth Taylor must be younger than 35

So I say 'so what?" nobody lives on assumptions but on conclusions

[Alan Masterman]

"So I say 'so what?" nobody lives on assumptions but on conclusions"

That was the prevailing mentality in mathematics towards the end of the 19th C. But then a number of mathematicians - Russell, Frege, Cantor, Dedekind and others - realised that mathematics was well on the way to becoming a castle of ******** in the air, unless its basic assumptions could be clarified and justified. One outcome of their work was set theory, which is the foundation of all of mathematics today, and provides almost all of its basic assumptions.

Obviously, any conclusion based on the assumption that Elizabeth Taylor is president will be ********. That is precisely why initial assumptions are so important.

[Alan Masterman]

I see that the moderators have asterisked my use of the word "********". I ask their forgiveness for my lapse of good taste. I had not realised that the standards of PC were so strict on this forum.

[Pattern-chaser]

I had not realised that the standards of PC were so strict on this forum.

Political Correctness, meaning courtesy and politeness? Seems good to me. [Even though I am given to the odd "*****" here and there.]