Python Equality Precedence

class L(object): def __eq__(self, other): print 'invoked L.__eq__' return False class R(object): def __eq__(self, other): print 'invoked R.__eq__'

Solution 1:

This is documented under the numeric operations, further down the page, with an explanation for why it works that way:

Note: If the right operand’s type is a subclass of the left operand’s type and that subclass provides the reflected method for the operation, this method will be called before the left operand’s non-reflected method. This behavior allows subclasses to override their ancestors’ operations.

The Python 3 documentation additionally mentions it in the section you were looking at:

If the operands are of different types, and right operand’s type is a direct or indirect subclass of the left operand’s type, the reflected method of the right operand has priority, otherwise the left operand’s method has priority. Virtual subclassing is not considered.