It's a matter of people imputing notions of "special" where they don't belong. Hence the importance of "proof" in math.<p>ETA: People are surprised that they can turn a sweater inside-out thru a sleeve or neck hole ONLY because they've imputed a "special" ability to the largest hole in the garment. The mathematical concept of "proof" strips away such imputations, leaving surprisingly unsurprising results - in this case, you can reverse a garment by pulling it thru one of its holes, be it the largest, smallest, or even a tear, because they're all just holes with nothing inherently topologically special about them. In a larger social concept: people tend to impute special attributes to various things where such attribution is not warranted; people who understand the concept of mathematical proof are less likely to get caught up in such incorrect imputation.