Mathematics

Mathematics is central to our lives and our world, but few people truly take the time to grasp it at a fundamental level. It is like DFW says in This is Water, we are fish unknowingly swimming in water. Similarly, math is all around us, impacting everything and, while we might not understand why math functions so beautifully to describe and navigate the world, it does, and is why it is crucial to have a basic familiarity with these big ideas. As Eugene Wigner said, math is unreasonably effective in describing the natural sciences, making it an effective way to spend our time so that we can come to better understand the universe around us.

Those without a firm grasp of these big ideas may find themselves constantly disadvantaged and easily influenced. The hope is that if the ideas addressed in this discipline are thoroughly understood, that this disadvantage may turn into an advantage.