Inconspicuous Consumption

Inconspicuous Consumption

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Inconspicuous Consumption
Inconspicuous Consumption
Some Thoughts About Odd Numbers and Even Numbers

Some Thoughts About Odd Numbers and Even Numbers

And why I strongly prefer one over the other. Plus a new Inconspicuous News Roundup!

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Paul Lukas
Jul 29, 2025
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Inconspicuous Consumption
Inconspicuous Consumption
Some Thoughts About Odd Numbers and Even Numbers
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One of these Things is clearly better than the other. (Illustration Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel)

In last Thursday’s post about my childhood silverware set, I mentioned that “forks are just inherently better than spoons” because “forks are like odd numbers while spoons feel like even numbers, and everyone knows odd numbers are superior.” That prompted a query from reader/commenter Tim Bullis, who wrote, “I hesitate to ask, but how/why are odd numbers superior to even numbers exactly?”

I responded to Tim’s comment with the following reply:

Odd numbers being better than even numbers is one of those self-evident things that just Make Sense in my brain. And prime numbers (all but one of which are, by definition, odd numbers) are the best of all.

YMMV, etc.

As I wrote and posted that reply, I knew it was unsatisfying — for Tim, for anyone else who would end up reading our exchange, and even for me. If someone else responded to a query of mine that way, I’d think it was a cop-out. So I’ve spent a bit of time since then thinking about why I prefer odd numbers, and today I’m going to share those thoughts with you.

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