You've got one "anthing" where I think you want "anything" but otherwise not bad. There is another, more insidious possibility. Perhaps we force students to take math because it gives us power over them. We can use it as a gatekeeper to keep people out. We can use it as a badge of shame (perhaps why there has been such a widespread adoption of wearing it as a badge of honor, turning the tables, so to speak). We can teach people that the world is confusing, that they're not smart enough to deal with it, that it ought to be left to experts, and that they should relegate themselves to work that is largely trivial. We can use it as a medium to project our own insecurities onto a new generation, perpetuating a cycle of intellectual abuse. IF that's our goal, we're doing a fantastic job. On the other hand, perhaps it's a matter of historical accident that we teach so much of it. Many cultures who knew a great deal about their surroundings knew very little of what we'd call mathematics, so it's clear there are alternative curricula. Maybe we're just stuck in the wake of some institutional inertia and we do it simply because that's what's done.
For clarification, I do think there are good reasons for teaching mathematics. I just don't think those are the reasons work from, however. At least most of the time.
You've got one "anthing" where I think you want "anything" but otherwise not bad. There is another, more insidious possibility. Perhaps we force students to take math because it gives us power over them. We can use it as a gatekeeper to keep people out. We can use it as a badge of shame (perhaps why there has been such a widespread adoption of wearing it as a badge of honor, turning the tables, so to speak). We can teach people that the world is confusing, that they're not smart enough to deal with it, that it ought to be left to experts, and that they should relegate themselves to work that is largely trivial. We can use it as a medium to project our own insecurities onto a new generation, perpetuating a cycle of intellectual abuse. IF that's our goal, we're doing a fantastic job. On the other hand, perhaps it's a matter of historical accident that we teach so much of it. Many cultures who knew a great deal about their surroundings knew very little of what we'd call mathematics, so it's clear there are alternative curricula. Maybe we're just stuck in the wake of some institutional inertia and we do it simply because that's what's done.
ReplyDeleteFor clarification, I do think there are good reasons for teaching mathematics. I just don't think those are the reasons work from, however. At least most of the time.
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