NY TIMES ON ALGEBRA & UNDERSTANDING SOCIETY

This passage from the recent opinion piece on algebra in The New York Times reminds me of the excellent Innumeracy  by John Allen Paulos. Both mesh well with my view that we need a much better heuristic understanding of society, and a social studies approach that explains ideas clearly, uses graphs, maps and visual approaches to understanding society that match human cognition better than current statistical approaches (as I discuss in Chapter 6 here).

 

Is Algebra Necessary?

Adam Hayes

By ANDREW HACKER

Published: July 28, 2012

Instead of investing so much of our academic energy in a subject that blocks further attainment for much of our population, I propose that we start thinking about alternatives. Thus mathematics teachers at every level could create exciting courses in what I call “citizen statistics.” This would not be a backdoor version of algebra, as in the Advanced Placement syllabus. Nor would it focus on equations used by scholars when they write for one another. Instead, it would familiarize students with the kinds of numbers that describe and delineate our personal and public lives.

It could, for example, teach students how the Consumer Price Index is computed, what is included and how each item in the index is weighted — and include discussion about which items should be included and what weights they should be given.

This need not involve dumbing down. Researching the reliability of numbers can be as demanding as geometry. More and more colleges are requiring courses in “quantitative reasoning.” In fact, we should be starting that in kindergarten.

I hope that mathematics departments can also create courses in the history and philosophy of their discipline, as well as its applications in early cultures. Why not mathematics in art and music — even poetry — along with its role in assorted sciences? The aim would be to treat mathematics as a liberal art, making it as accessible and welcoming as sculpture or ballet.

 www.nytimes.com/2012/07/29/opinion/sunday/is-algebra-necessary.html?src=me&ref=general&pagewanted=all

TECHNOCRACY, BUREAUCRACY, CREDENTIALISM & SOCIETY. IS IT WORTH IT?

The social sciences raise, of course, all kinds of issues related to ethics, democracy (who decides what, if anything, is 'better' then the current situation? And how to try to change society?), unintended consequences and so on.

But how about just the sheer exhausting tediousness of it all? Do we really want to move in the direction it would take to successfully fully understand and intervene in social outcomes? Would it really make us happier as a society?

Just two examples I ran across recently made me think of this issue again. The first is on the math that would be needed to model financial markets (as the math currently used has obviously proven not up to the task). The econophysicist (who has some excellent criticisms of economics) suggests

that the economists revise their curriculum and require that the following topics be taught: calculus through the advanced level, ordinary differential equations (including advanced), partial differential equations (including Green functions), classical mechanics through modern nonlinear dynamics, statistical physics, stochastic processes (including solving Smoluchowski-Fokker-Planck equations), computer programming (C, Pascal, etc.) and, for complexity, cell biology. Time for such classes can be obtained in part by eliminating micro- and macro-economics classes from the curriculum. The students will then face a much harder curriculum, and those who survive will come out ahead. So might society as a whole. (McCauley 2006, PDF)

The second is from a “professional” aid worker arguing against amateur aid workers and organizations.

There are certain very specific things that you need to know in order to do good aid work. There is a large body of aid theory that you need to know, and there is an even larger body of raw information. You need to know (fluently) standards like Sphere, HAP, or those related to your area of technical expertise/interest. You need to know grant management (not just management,grant management). You need to know the latest thinking in community assessment, organizational learning, and maybe child protection….You need to understand R2P (don’t know what that is? Better Google it…) and why it matters. You need to know industry best-practices related to humanitarian protection. You need to know the difference between OCHA and UNOPS and UNHCR. You need to know how humanitarian coordination works and where to find information about it…you may need to know basic logistics, financial management, communications or security.

So – to recap – to understand the economy you need to know:

• calculus through the advanced level
• ordinary differential equations (including advanced)
• partial differential equations (including Green functions)
• classical mechanics through modern nonlinear dynamics
• statistical physics
• stochastic processes (including solving Smoluchowski-Fokker-Planck equations) computer programming (C, Pascal, etc.). 
• and, for complexity, cell biology. 

And to do aid work:


"You need to know (fluently) standards like

• Sphere,
• HAP,
• or those related to your area of technical expertise/interest.
• grant management (not just management, grant management).
• the latest thinking in community assessment,
• organizational learning,
• and maybe child protection….
• To understand R2P (don’t know what that is? Better Google it…) and why it matters.
• to know industry best-practices related to humanitarian protection.
• to know the difference between OCHA and UNOPS and UNHCR.
• to know how humanitarian coordination works and where to find information about it…
• basic logistics, financial management, communications or security.

Somehow I think technocracy (in the first example) and bureaucracy and credentialism (the second example) are not the way forward.