Comment Ignorance leads to flawed conclusions (Score 1) 1153
G.V. Ramanathan expresses a common ethnocentric egotistical point of view of Academics.
Math is more than equations and numbers it leverages brain power by giving the possessor the power to think and make decisions in quantitative rather than qualitative terms.
Second those gifted with math abilities do make it through a educational system that teaches math so poorly that it creates mental illness. Everyone has the ability to learn math, which is after all merely a language. The problem is that the ability to learn languages must be exercised before it atrophies. I do agree that the approach to encouraging math is flawed, Kindergartners should be graphing lines instead of learning to do calculations.
The need is for math is much greater in today's information age than in the industrial age. In fact math is as important in the information age as reading literacy was to the industrial age.
Math ignorance leads to science ignorance which today is seen in the climate debate.
This debate is not scientific but political and only exists because of math illiteracy of the American public..