Why You Can't Solve 1+1=2

The first time the kindergarten teacher explained 1+1=2, I thought she was joking. I thought this was something children used, but adults didn’t.

You can't use 1+1=2 in real life.

What does this even mean? Apple plus apple is two apples?

Which two apples? There are no two identical apples. There is only one unique apple (1a, for example) and another unique apple (1b, for example). You should a unique tag.

It's completely useless in real life. You literally wouldn't be able to find two exactly identical apples.

Saying 1+1=2 is like a sketch of reality instead of a detailed drawing. It only exists in your mind.

Humans are notoriously bad at removing uniqueness from something and giving it a sketch-like label (one that is too generic). For example, if you label a person with a psychiatric disease, you have to strip away their individuality first. Instead of describing how unique someone is, you create a generic label—the equivalent of 1+1=2.

So, in the same analogy, you can never truly label someone with a psychiatric disease because everyone has their own specific mental condition. What you can do is help people take care of themselves and support them in getting through the day. But that’s possible without a label like autism, which exists in the same way as 1+1=2—sketchy and abstract.