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A professor at the University of Exeter claims in a new textbook that learning mathematics can cause “collateral damage” to society by training students in "ethics-free thought."
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First, Ernest asserts that “the nature of pure of mathematics itself leads to styles of thinking that can be damaging when applied beyond mathematics to social and human issues,” since math facilitates “detached” and “calculative” reasoning.
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Second, he argues that the “applications of mathematics in society can be deleterious to our humanity unless very carefully monitored and checked,” worrying particularly about how math facilitates transactions of money and finance.
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Finally, Ernest worries of the personal impact math has on “less-successful students,” especially women, since math is often perceived as a “masculine” and “difficult” subject.
Last year, I commented
Quote:
Do you see what this is? They are basically saying it is racist because whites are smarter and more reasoned than other races... and when they perpetuate their smarts, it is creating an unfair advantage towards other races, and therefore is racist.
Look at what I underlined... white privilege has to do with abstract reasoning - implied, other races can't reason. Those who develop and are good at math are white. Implied - other races aren't good at math.
They have to dial it down for us blacks and hispanics.
Just another nutty professor from a lot of “single professors” saying outrageous things.
There are tens of thousands of professors out there, not hard to find a fraction of them spouting dumb stuff in-between teaching their joke classes. It only takes 1% to easily get you enough for something dumb to come out every other day or so.
Plus when they do, it's pretty sure to be idiotic and so it makes for some tasty click bait so it gets disseminated.
Sounds like a single professor in an echo chamber that teaches some sort of SJW class.
Only thing this bozo will generate in their lifetime is outrage.
I do think that their comments at the very least sound sexist if not racist.
MATH is a clear path to good jobs for people regardless of their race, gender, socio-economic background etc.
standards that required students graduate high school with basic math skills are going the way of the Dodo in some states like NY. I read the following article this weekend reflecting math requirments for high school graduates:
The bar keeps dropping on state math exams.....
Kids only need to score a measly 30 percent on this month’s Algebra 1 Regents test to pass, according to new state guidelines.
Students who manage just 26 out of 86 total points will get a heavily weighted score of 65 — the minimum required for passage.
That’s the lowest standard since the state introduced the test four years ago.
Sounds like a single professor in an echo chamber that teaches some sort of SJW class.
Only thing this bozo will generate in their lifetime is outrage.
I do think that their comments at the very least sound sexist if not racist.
MATH is a clear path to good jobs for people regardless of their race, gender, socio-economic background etc.
Not sure how you concluded that; in fact - he says the opposite. In the paper he notes that women outperform men in places like the Middle East and some Pacific Islands. Moreover, in general - disparities are between men and women are not pronounced in Eastern and Latin American countries, places where the stigma of STEM for women is not strong. In short, he's not saying women can't preform well in mathematics, he's saying that for many reasons - women in America don't pursue mathematics. That's empirically true.
Please read the paper before commenting next time.
requiring students graduate high school with basic math skills is going the way of the Dodo in some states like NY. I read the following article this weekend reflecting math requirments for high school graduates:
The bar keeps dropping on state math exams.....
Kids only need to score a measly 30 percent on this month’s Algebra 1 Regents test to pass, according to new state guidelines.
Students who manage just 26 out of 86 total points will get a heavily weighted score of 65 — the minimum required for passage.
That’s the lowest standard since the state introduced the test four years ago.
Colleges and graduate schools should have higher bars for math, so professors like this won't be created.
Sorry, the intersection of math and ethics is a highly important area. I refer back to the classic 'Okuns Bucket' problem in Economics. There is a tradeoff between efficiency and equity - but beyond the math there are moral questions. Is it right that we don't help people in need if we become less productive?
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