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The phrase "two plus two make five" (or "2 + 2 = 5") is sometimes used as a succinct and
vivid representation of an illogical statement, especially one made and
maintained to suit an ideological agenda. Its common use originates from its
inclusion in the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by
George Orwell (Part Three, Chapter Two), where it is contrasted with the
true, mathematical phrase "two plus two make four." Orwell's protagonist,
Winston Smith, uses it to consider the possibility that the State might
declare "two plus two makes five" as a fact; he ponders that if everybody believes in it, does that make it true?
2 + 2 = 5 is also a song on Radiohead's 6th album, Hail to the Thief.
In the song "George Orwell Must Be Laughing His Ass Off" by Mea Culpa, the second verse begins with "If 2 plus 2 don't equal 5 I guess I'm just no fun"
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