A calculus of the absurd

\(\newcommand{\footnotename}{footnote}\) \(\def \LWRfootnote {1}\) \(\newcommand {\footnote }[2][\LWRfootnote ]{{}^{\mathrm {#1}}}\) \(\newcommand {\footnotemark }[1][\LWRfootnote ]{{}^{\mathrm {#1}}}\) \(\let \LWRorighspace \hspace \) \(\renewcommand {\hspace }{\ifstar \LWRorighspace \LWRorighspace }\) \(\newcommand {\mathnormal }[1]{{#1}}\) \(\newcommand \ensuremath [1]{#1}\) \(\newcommand {\LWRframebox }[2][]{\fbox {#2}} \newcommand {\framebox }[1][]{\LWRframebox } \) \(\newcommand {\setlength }[2]{}\) \(\newcommand {\addtolength }[2]{}\) \(\newcommand {\setcounter }[2]{}\) \(\newcommand {\addtocounter }[2]{}\) \(\newcommand {\arabic }[1]{}\) \(\newcommand {\number }[1]{}\) \(\newcommand {\noalign }[1]{\text {#1}\notag \\}\) \(\newcommand {\cline }[1]{}\) \(\newcommand {\directlua }[1]{\text {(directlua)}}\) \(\newcommand {\luatexdirectlua }[1]{\text {(directlua)}}\) \(\newcommand {\protect }{}\) \(\def \LWRabsorbnumber #1 {}\) \(\def \LWRabsorbquotenumber "#1 {}\) \(\newcommand {\LWRabsorboption }[1][]{}\) \(\newcommand {\LWRabsorbtwooptions }[1][]{\LWRabsorboption }\) \(\def \mathchar {\ifnextchar "\LWRabsorbquotenumber \LWRabsorbnumber }\) \(\def \mathcode #1={\mathchar }\) \(\let \delcode \mathcode \) \(\let \delimiter \mathchar \) \(\def \oe {\unicode {x0153}}\) \(\def \OE {\unicode {x0152}}\) \(\def \ae {\unicode {x00E6}}\) \(\def \AE {\unicode {x00C6}}\) \(\def \aa {\unicode {x00E5}}\) \(\def \AA {\unicode {x00C5}}\) \(\def \o {\unicode {x00F8}}\) \(\def \O {\unicode {x00D8}}\) \(\def \l {\unicode {x0142}}\) \(\def \L {\unicode {x0141}}\) \(\def \ss {\unicode {x00DF}}\) \(\def \SS {\unicode {x1E9E}}\) \(\def \dag {\unicode {x2020}}\) \(\def \ddag {\unicode {x2021}}\) \(\def \P {\unicode {x00B6}}\) \(\def \copyright {\unicode {x00A9}}\) \(\def \pounds {\unicode {x00A3}}\) \(\let \LWRref \ref \) \(\renewcommand {\ref }{\ifstar \LWRref \LWRref }\) \( \newcommand {\multicolumn }[3]{#3}\) \(\require {textcomp}\) \(\newcommand {\LWRmarginnote }[1][]{}\) \(\newcommand {\marginnote }[2][]{\qquad {\small \textrm {#2}}\LWRmarginnote }\) \(\def \LWRsidenote {1}\) \(\newcommand {\sidenotemark }[1][\LWRsidenote ]{{}^{\mathrm {#1}}}\) \(\newcommand {\intertext }[1]{\text {#1}\notag \\}\) \(\let \Hat \hat \) \(\let \Check \check \) \(\let \Tilde \tilde \) \(\let \Acute \acute \) \(\let \Grave \grave \) \(\let \Dot \dot \) \(\let \Ddot \ddot \) \(\let \Breve \breve \) \(\let \Bar \bar \) \(\let \Vec \vec \) \(\newcommand {\nicefrac }[3][]{\mathinner {{}^{#2}\!/\!_{#3}}}\) \(\newcommand {\unit }[2][]{#1 \mathinner {#2}}\) \(\newcommand {\unitfrac }[3][]{#1 \mathinner {{}^{#2}\!/\!_{#3}}}\) \(\newcommand {\bm }[1]{\boldsymbol {#1}}\) \(\require {mathtools}\) \(\newenvironment {crampedsubarray}[1]{}{}\) \(\newcommand {\smashoperator }[2][]{#2\limits }\) \(\newcommand {\SwapAboveDisplaySkip }{}\) \(\newcommand {\LaTeXunderbrace }[1]{\underbrace {#1}}\) \(\newcommand {\LaTeXoverbrace }[1]{\overbrace {#1}}\) \(\newcommand {\LWRmultlined }[1][]{\begin {multline*}}\) \(\newenvironment {multlined}[1][]{\LWRmultlined }{\end {multline*}}\) \(\let \LWRorigshoveleft \shoveleft \) \(\renewcommand {\shoveleft }[1][]{\LWRorigshoveleft }\) \(\let \LWRorigshoveright \shoveright \) \(\renewcommand {\shoveright }[1][]{\LWRorigshoveright }\) \(\newcommand {\shortintertext }[1]{\text {#1}\notag \\}\) \(\newcommand {\vcentcolon }{\mathrel {\unicode {x2236}}}\) \(\newcommand {\Var }{\operatorname {Var}}\) \(\newcommand {\Expected }{\operatorname {E}}\) \(\newcommand {\abs }[1]{\left \lvert #1\right \rvert }\) \(\newcommand {\norm }[1]{\left \lVert #1\right \rVert }\) \(\newcommand {\rbrackets }[1]{\left (#1\right )}\) \(\newcommand {\sbrackets }[1]{\left [#1\right ]}\) \(\newcommand {\cbrackets }[1]{\left \{#1\right \}}\) \(\newcommand {\RE }{\operatorname {Re}}\) \(\newcommand {\IM }{\operatorname {IM}}\) \(\newcommand {\Span }{\operatorname {span}}\)