Circular demonstration of the commutative law

Abstract

The associative, commutative and distributive laws are taught as axioms. Proceeding in a necessarily cautious fashion, this article shows that the commutative law (as representative) cannot be demonstrated over negative integers. Demonstration is only possible at the cost of assuming ‘negative x negative = positive’ as ‘true without proof before proceeding. It is noted that there is then no point in proving ’negative x negative = positive’ by the use of the associative, commutative and distributive laws after it has already been so assumed true without proof to establish those very laws. Nevertheless, the circle of proof can be broken, and a suitable demonstration of the commutative law is given. However, this first of all requires a new circular theory of number. Such a theory exists and this article is in support of its findings.