Mathematics and Our Future
Uploaded by atejada on Oct 05, 2001
Mathematics has been a part of life since life began and is not about to go away. Rosie O’Donnell has been quoted recently in Newsweek as saying that math should no longer be taught because “we have computers (and) no longer need to know why 3x2y/4.” Although not all mathematics is useful in everyday life there still are an indefinite amount of examples of it being practical and informative. From tennis, government, and even to a student’s car buying experience, math is an essential skill for everyone. It makes advancement in today’s marketplace easier and can lead to a more satisfying life. Those with a mathematic type major learn to think more abstractly and find ways to adapt easier. These critical thinking skills are essential to achieve where one wants to go. Our society is the one that’s losing if it loses mathematics. Nonetheless, O’Donnell has a point.
Society is changing to the point where people need to adapt to it. I’m not saying that O’Donnell is right, however, maybe it’s time to change the way society teaches our students. Computers are becoming more and more a part of our lives, whether we like it or not, they’re here to stay. And why not let them do their jobs? Why not save money that is spent on, sometimes, useless education and spend it on preparing our students for the future. They’re in control, they’re going to be running the country and they deserve all the advantages given to them. Prepare for the future my friends; it’s going to be a world with more reliance on the written word rather than the written number.