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Originally Posted by Ken G
The key point in all this is, the answer to a question is never separable from the method that was used to find that answer, and the criteria that is applied for ascertaining the "correctness" of any given answer. I'm afraid you simply cannot get around that. We'd all like to believe in absolute truth-- there's no such thing.
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Even more than that, the answer depends upon the whole context in which the question was asked. That may include the system used to derive the answer (though I think some Zen Buddhists might object), but also upon your definitions of the various elements of the question and answer, and whether you even have a concept of definition. How those elements link to other things. Everything like that.
Even the concept of repeatability exists only in context. After all, I have a feeling that no matter how many times I add six apples to seven apples, I will end up with thirteen apples. But there's nothing that really guarantees this, and nothing that guarantees that it'll extend to oranges. In addition, there's nothing that guarantees that my six apples don't look like five to you.
That being said, it's a pretty useless view to take.