Regarding the first two footnotes, I’m pretty sure that originally the singular form “parenthesis” just refers to the aside inserted (by use of brackets, like this) into a sentence. Because it sounds like a plural and because of the expression “in parenthesis”, people probably mistakenly applied the word to the pair of symbols, and when that became common, started using the real plural “parentheses”. This has staying power because it’s fancy and “brackets” is way overloaded, but historically it’s probably just wrong and especially nonsensical in math and programming, where we don’t use them to insert little sidenotes.

I am in the middle of developing a parser for a new language with original representation vs. syntax issues to resolve.

Clearly, this was the worst possible time for me to come across this brain damaging essay.

I really can’t afford it! My mathematical heart can’t help taking symmetrical precedence control seriously. But my gut is experiencing an unpleasant form of vertigo.

Prompt: Suggest a topic for a short blog post that will nerd-snipe as many readers as possible while making no actual sense at all.

System: How about “Inverse Parentheses”? We can write the entire article without ever defining what it means. Nerds will be unable to resist.

The footnotes are top-tier ADHD. Particularly loved the footnote on a footnote, 10/10.

The real question is, why does Python even have parentheses? If semantic indent is superior to braces, it ought to beat parentheses, too. The following should yield 14:

  a = 2 *
    3 + 4

  list = [
    1,2,3,
    [ 4, 5 ],
    6
  ]

  =
    a
    *
      2
      +
        3
        4

I don't understand

Ha! I was expecting/wondering something about the semantics of )( parenthesis (which I have no idea what it could be, but... why not?)

Parenthesis used to decrease precedence? Everything outside of the parenthesis will be done before what is in the parenthesis?

Where do stars live? Thats what I wonder.

I think reading this let me experience the feeling a Bene Gesserit has when they hear about a preborn.