Dominic Smith wrote a heartfelt essay on the pulling power of mathematics. Click this link.

What's your reaction?

The article is very right. People don't generally think that highly of a mathematician, and at times wish to avoid people with no prior knowledge of them other than the fact that they enjoy maths. People never want to look up to a mathematician in the same way that they look up to an athelete. Nothing against atheletics, I play sports myself, but a mathematician should recieve the same respect, at least as an athelete. They generally end up doing a lot more for society. Sum this reaction up to people's deep distrust for anything that they can't understand and a general sentiment for anti-intellectualism in the public.

Brad

I have mixed feelings about this article. I am not sure there is widespread prejudice against people who do maths for A-Level (in my old school it was the most popular A-Level - not because anyone was interested in it, but because it is highly regarded!)

What I have noticed however is the common view held by almost everyone I used to know from my old school that mathematics was pointless and irrelevant (including people who chose to do two mathematics A-Levels). Nobody could imagine why vectors could be useful for instance, and there was a constant questioning of why this particular bit of material is on the syllabus when it doesn't have an immediate and obvious real world application. Because it is interesting perhaps?

Furthermore, the common view is that mathematics involves no imagination, and is just about drily and robotically applying logical arguments to various problems, while the creativity is left to artists and poets. This is totally untrue, and is insulting.

This viewpoint is not only felt by students. I had an English teacher who described mathematics as "messing with crappy numbers". When we had to deliver a coursework speech in front of the class on a subject that interests us, I felt I couldn't choose anything in the realm of maths/physics as the teacher would immediately be biased against it. This type of intolerance rarely happens the other way around - all of my maths teachers were big fans of English literature.

But going back to the first part of the article, I totally disagree with any suggestion of including mathematics in the Olympics, and giving it the same status or even comparing it to a sport. It is not a sport, and it is most enjoyable when it is not competitive. Trying to prove that you're better at maths than everyone else is a waste of time in my opinion - instead people should be working together on parts of the subject that interest them. Of course there is nothing wrong with competition but I feel that mathematics is an inappropriate medium in which to be competing - it is almost like an insult to the subject.

I agree with Brad that mathematicians should get the same respect but the fact they don't is not necessarily because of a bias against mathematics - more that sports are glamorous and high profile and so is more highly regarded than nearly all other activities!

Completely agree with Michael about maths not being a sport!!!