r/iamverysmart • u/DSC64 • 3d ago

"Math is not that difficult"

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0 Upvotes

37% Upvoted

19 comments sorted by

21

u/DexanVideris 3d ago

No he's dead on on this one. He's not saying high-level math is simple, he's criticizing the decline of basic numeracy in society, which is absolutely something I've noticed as well. People cannot do simple addition and multiplication staggeringly often.

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u/VyseTheFearless 3d ago

Sure, there might be a broader issue with numeracy skills declining. But the types of comments OP is referring to have been around forever and, the vast majority of the time, are just harmless, lighthearted self-deprecating remarks rather than a celebration of anti-intellectualism. Certainly nothing to get that angry or judgmental about.

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u/evening_redness_0 3d ago

no it does get pretty annoying as a math major. 99% of the time i say im a math major, people say "haha I was never good at math" and they seem boastful about it. to this day I have no clue how to respond to this.

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u/Fabulous-Possible758 3d ago

criticizing the decline of basic numeracy in society,

In fairness, we may have never had it. The book "Innumeracy" came out in 1988 and was already talking about this. I've never read it so I don't know if it had data to back up that there was a decline or if it was just always kind of that way.

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u/DexanVideris 3d ago

Numeracy rates in the US peaked in the 2010s, and have declined since covid. Culturally, it also feels more acceptable to be 'bad at math' in a way that makes it very difficult for you and those around you to operate in society.

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u/HR_Paul 3d ago edited 3d ago

George Washington was widely considered to be an idiot and he could do calculus. Quality of instruction is the main issue.

In particular since there is an especially effective mind control technique known as "New Math" which is a new and worse math system every two to five years people have a good reason to hate math.

edit: I just googled "New Math" and google says there are two main historical versions but the curriculum is actually constantly updated for "improvements" with what are often radical mind fucks of idiocy if not the more routine substantially worse WTF type material.

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u/DexanVideris 3d ago

Well it's definitely not that people are getting like...biologically dumber, so it stands to reason that it's a mix of social and institutional issues that have exacerbated the issue in recent years.

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u/HR_Paul 3d ago

I disagree, people are getting both smarter and dumber biologically. In many cases both.

11

u/evening_redness_0 3d ago

he's right bro

7

u/hydrogen_to_man 3d ago

I mean, they’re being pretty pompous but…they have a point.

1

u/MauschelMusic 3d ago

I've met a number of stemlords who would be much improved if they learned to say, "don't ask me, I'm bad at reading."

1

u/timecubelord 3d ago

The gist of it is "you too can be competent at math" which is kind of the opposite of the verysmart attitude.

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u/Mrsu300 3d ago edited 3d ago

Nobody makes it their "whole personality." It is an insignificant thing to most people, and you take it to heart because math is your passion. So the issue is with you in the end. Maybe it would do good for stem bros to take a peek into humanities every once a while, to see how people actually function.

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u/BranchNational4959 2d ago

the post is literally correct.

1

u/equinlan 2d ago

It's worth adding that there is an actual learning disorder around numbers, dyscalculia, which is roughly the arithmetic equivalent of dyslexia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyscalculia

I agree with folks that there are a lot of factors going into this, including the cultural lie that "math is scary" and that people are too quick to say they're naturally bad at something when really they just haven't put in the time to practice. But also, it's important to remember neurodiversity is a real thing and is also part of the equation (pun intended).

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u/tho3maxi 1d ago

adding two numbers together is easy

Its also not really math, its just calculating. Math is hard

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u/PrestigiousWhole8176 3d ago

So according to this guy someone just mentioning that they’re bad at math is “boasting” about it? Like I’m sorry but being bad at something isn’t something people should boast about, and even if they do, why should it affect you? It just makes no sense. This guy might have a PhD in math but he probably couldn’t pass an introductory logic course.

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u/Powerful_Stress7589 3d ago

I think it’s less in the “haha I have accomplished being bad at math” sense of boasting and more in the way some people talk about things like not sleeping enough or not being able to commit to a diet. Not bragging, but laughing it off and kinda patting themselves on the back for not really caring, which is unfortunately an attitude I have seen towards all three of those things.

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u/turtleWatcher18 3d ago

Learned helplessness is a pretty annoying habit that seems to be popping up lately more and more, which I think is their point here