[Little Fishy]

Warning: Rant:

I'm a math/econ major in my first year at St Lawrence University. I by no means consider myself fluent in advanced mathematics I finished up all my calcs as well as differential equations & modeling as well as a bridge to higher math/methods of proofs I've also taken advanced stats and I'm taking real analysis and either rign theory or advanced probability next semester. that said, I find math to be a very mind opening and engaging subject. I feel that a lot of the applications of advanced mathematics have huge implications in and can greatly expand our understanding of the world around us (ie. prime number encription, modeling desease spread, the lotka voltera model). There's also a lot of theory that can be mind expanding, (understanding the levels of infinity, proving sets countable, figuring out what the hell a laplace transform is). to answer your question I do think studying advanced mathematics expands or understandign of the world but I also think it narrows it.

I don't want to know how to differentiate an equation if i don't also know who Steven Pinker or Brunson Alcott is. Math is interesting but by no means is it a substitute for other knowledge...

...and that's why i'm at a liberal arts college. I get to take all the math I want but I've also had the chance to take courses on Speach and Rhetoric, Cognative and Social Memory, 20th century Russina History (we only made it through the 30's), and Human Nature (in which I'm just finishing a Kickass 17pager on the evolutionary reasons behind gambling)

to cum it up... Yes math has a similar impact on the student as the study of liturature, but no one subject is everything and in order to have a more complete understanding of the world you really have to understand a little of everything...

John Adams would wake up every mornign at 6. go swimming, translate latin and then practice math for an hour. he did all this in addition to being, 1st a farmer, then a lawyer and finally president.

-my $.02- little fishy