Frankly, I am much more disturbed to think that people don't know what is happening in the world around them and how to deal with it than if they can solve complex mathematical problems. I meet so many people who can't logically reason their way through a problem...if x then then y, therefore z is best course of action. Thoughts like that are surprisingly scarce in a large portion of the population.
Mathematics need to emphasize more of the logic and problem solving than the memorization of formulas. Conversely, the other arts like English, history, etc. need to teach students how to apply that logic to real world situations. I don't think schools are teaching necessarily too much math...I think they are teaching it in the wrong way.
Slashdot Mirror
Frankly, I am much more disturbed to think that people don't know what is happening in the world around them and how to deal with it than if they can solve complex mathematical problems. I meet so many people who can't logically reason their way through a problem...if x then then y, therefore z is best course of action. Thoughts like that are surprisingly scarce in a large portion of the population. Mathematics need to emphasize more of the logic and problem solving than the memorization of formulas. Conversely, the other arts like English, history, etc. need to teach students how to apply that logic to real world situations. I don't think schools are teaching necessarily too much math...I think they are teaching it in the wrong way.