Why is 'True == not False' a syntax error in Python?

Question

Comparing boolean values with == works in Python. But when I apply the boolean not operator, the result is a syntax error:

Python 2         


        

Answer 1

It has to do with operator precedence in Python (the interpreter thinks you're comparing True to not, since == has a higher precedence than not). You need some parentheses to clarify the order of operations:

True == (not False)

In general, you can't use not on the right side of a comparison without parentheses. However, I can't think of a situation in which you'd ever need to use a not on the right side of a comparison.