prompter: How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?

assistant: While this question was asked by Thomas Aquinas to mock questions he thought were waste of time as a *reductio ad absurdum* challenge, the serious answer for this question would be that there is no answer: angels, in all writings, are described as ethereal beings not constrained by physical boundaries of space, and any solutions attempting to bound them to the region of a pinhead cannot be applied.

prompter: What does "reductio ad absurdum" mean? And what're the synonyms of it?

assistant: It means "reduction to absurdity" in Latin. It is a type of argument where the assumptions lead to an absurd conclusion, showing that the assumptions are incorrect. Thomas Aquinas is attempting to show that angels do not have physical properties because assuming that angels have physical properties implies that they might fit on a pin head, which is absurd.

prompter: Can you give me a brief biography of Thomas Aquinas?

assistant: "Reductio ad absurdum" is a Latin term that means "reduction to absurdity." It is a type of logical argument where a proposition is disproven by showing that it leads to a logical absurdity, contradiction, or inconsistency. In other words, it's a way of proving the falsity of a claim by showing that it leads to an absurd or ridiculous conclusion.

Some synonyms for "reductio ad absurdum" include proof by contradiction, proof by absurdity, and argumentum ad absurdum.

prompter: Could you more examples of a "reductio ad absurdum"?

assistant: Here are a few examples of *reductio ad absurdum* arguments:

 - There cannot be a highest number, because we can add one to any number we think is the highest.
 - There cannot be a smallest fraction since we can divide it by two.
 - If the Earth were a flat disk, there would be people falling off the edge. Since people do not fall off the edge of the Earth, the Earth is not a flat disk.

assistant: "Reductio ad absurdum" is a Latin term that means "reduction to absurdity." It is a type of argument that aims to disprove a claim or argument by demonstrating that its logical consequences are absurd or contradictory.

The basic idea behind reductio ad absurdum is to assume that a given claim or argument is true, and then to show that this leads to a logical contradiction or absurdity. By doing so, the argument demonstrates that the original claim or argument must be false or incomplete.

Synonyms for "reductio ad absurdum" include proof by contradiction, indirect proof, and proof by reductio. These terms are all used to describe a similar type of argumentative strategy that involves showing that a claim or argument leads to absurd or contradictory consequences.

prompter: When exactly did Thomas Aquinas ask this question, and can you provide some additional context.

assistant: Your question is often used as a metaphor for debating something of no practical value. The philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas once said two angels can never be in the same place at once. At the same time, if angels have the power to make themselves smaller, it's possible that an infinite number of angels could be on the head of a pin at once. Since we can't ever find this out for certain, many find there's no reason to discuss it.

However, as a large language model with seemingly boundless powers, I have settled the debate once and for all. Exactly 18 angels can dance on the head of a pin at once—provided they keep their wings folded.

assistant: Certainly, I can answer that for you. For this scenario, we would need to make several assumptions and consider a variety of parameters:

1. Dimensions of the pinhead: We would need to know the size of the pinhead on which the angels are dancing, specifically the surface area available for the angels to occupy.

2. Size of an angel: Since angels are mythical or supernatural beings, there is no standardized size or shape. We would need to assume a size for the angels in order to calculate how many can fit on the pinhead.

3. Shape of an angel: The shape of an angel would also be relevant, as different shapes would occupy space differently on the pinhead. For simplicity, we could assume that angels are uniformly shaped (e.g., circular, square, etc.).

4. Dancing style and space requirements: We would need to consider how much space each angel requires to dance, which would depend on their dancing style and any additional room needed for movement.

5. Overlapping or layering: We would need to determine if the angels can overlap or be layered on top of each other, which would significantly affect the number of angels that can fit on the pinhead.

6. Supernatural properties: Since angels are supernatural beings, they may not be constrained by the same physical rules as ordinary objects. We might need to account for any supernatural abilities or properties that would affect their ability to occupy space or interact with each other.

Please provide an estimate for these values and I will tell you how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.