Math question Options

[James]

See poll. Feel free to discuss if you want, but I'm curious to what responses I'll get.

The basis of this question comes from a book I'm reading, "How Mathematics Happened," and in particular, this paragraph:

In ancient Greece, mathematics was a respected subject. Now it is the most detested of school subjects. What did the Greeks do in mathematical education that we are not doing today?

...

Greek schooling was limited to reading, writing, rhetoric, music, and athletics. After completion of schooling, a man could add to his education by listening to lectures given by wandering scholars called Sophists. If he specifically wanted to learn mathematics, he listened to a Sophist who lectured about mathematics. Mathematics was an elective for the mature. Arithmetic ability was not necessary for the educated Greek; he had slaves to do his menial mental as well as physical labor. Today's more human equivalent of the slave is the electronic calculator.

I suppose the same idea would apply to science.

This post has been edited by Spectatrix: Jun 12 2007, 12:58 PM

[Testm0nkey]

of course math shouldnt be replaced. americans are stupid they want their kids to be smarter so they can start battling other countries for technical jobs yet at the same time only care if their kids can pass a test at the end of the year. like that symbolizes learning anything
another difference between all these centuries and now countries i think is self motivation for education and self education itself. and attending college isnt the self education im referring to

i lived in japan for awhile and went to a hybrid japanese/english school but i remember going to the japanese schools (till 9pm!) and it seems everything it taught via memorization. they would sit there for an hour and repeat what the teacher would say and copy math problems