Math is the Ultimate form of Reasoning (Someone help me filter this out in my head)
  • rickyk95
    53
    I cant quite put my finger on it, and I cant really explain why, but it seems to me that every time I here people talk about politics and philosophy, these are just meaningless words flying around. Whenever I see people like Bill Maher, or TYT, make commentaries about whats going on, and know that these people lack any mathematical background, it just makes them lose credibility to my eyes. Someone who is ignorant to a large extent in mathematics, probably lacks awareness in structuring arguments and reaching truth, and so, anyone can give an opinion and say it in an emotionally captivating way, but that says nothing of its validity and soundness.

    On the flipside however, there are some people like Christopher Hitchens, who despite being a journalist (I have no idea if he was mathematically knowledgeable or not), have a precision in their arguments that is almost scientific. Also Ben Shapiro, argues with such delicacy that it is a pleasure to listen to him construct arguments and conclusions, and yet these two individuals dont come from a math background. So this is countervidence to my point that one has to be mathematically knowledgeable to make arguments about anything in the world. But my intuition just tells me that knowing math helps in making arguments and reaching truth.

    So my question is: I have always enjoyed politics and current affairs, but have lately realized that in order to have any credibility in the conclusions I reach, I must know lots of math because it sharpens my reasoning skills. Should I become extremely competent in math before I delve into politics? Or maybe the other way around?
    Also, what is the relationship between every day arguments we hear in politics and current affairs on the one hand, and numbers and quantitative reasoning on the other?
    rickyk95 Options
  • Jeremiah
    1.5k
    While mathematics will help develop quantitative reasoning, problem solving and critical/analytical skills, it is not the only path to sharpening your rational edge.

    Should I become extremely competent in math before I delve into politics? Or maybe the other way around? — rickyk95

    If your focus is politics some math will be needed. You'll mainly need an understanding of statistics, which at advanced levels requires a large amount of math; however, much of statistic can be learned with nothing but college level algebra, since it is largely conceptual. Understanding the conceptual aspect of statistics for a politician is probably more important than knowing the math itself.
    Jeremiah Options
  • Srap Tasmaner
    5k
    ↪rickyk95

    No, you don't have to devote yourself to math. I'd like to say it's logic you want to learn, but it's not that either. Logic is the formal way of doing something that's much broader than logic, namely reasoning.

    To improve your reasoning skills, you're looking, to start with, for what they call "critical thinking" in schools these days. There are lots of introductory textbooks out there. (I have no idea what to recommend.) They'll all cover the basics of evaluating arguments, spotting fallacies, etc.

    A couple of books you might also want to look at are Thank You For Arguing which is about rhetoric-- most CT texts I think treat this only as something for you to be wary of someone else using: and How Not to Be Wrong which covers a lot of the mathematical concepts you might find useful.
    Srap Tasmaner Options
  • Jeremiah
    1.5k
    Formal logic is not that important. If you want to understand the world around you then yuou need some level of math; how much is hard to say. Personally, I would go for at least enough to read and understand scientific articles founded on the mathematical sciences.
    Jeremiah Options
  • Hanover
    13k
    ↪rickyk95
    You offer no basis for your bias in favor of the mathematically inclined, and until you do, it's impossible to convince you your conclusion is wrong. My best suggestion is that you ought not have preconceived notions without justification. Prejudgment is the cause of prejudice.
    Hanover Options
  • Terrapin Station
    13.8k
    ↪rickyk95


    Are both of your parents highly educated in mathematics?

    What do you think about their views?
    Terrapin Station Options
  • T Clark
    14k
    Also, what is the relationship between every day arguments we hear in politics and current affairs on the one hand, and numbers and quantitative reasoning on the other? — rickyk95

    For most issues in the world, you don't need much math to deal with them. People successfully reason with each other every day without using formal logic. Logic is not reason, it is a tool you might want to use when you reason. In my experience, most political discussions are the same, although, as Jeremiah indicated, familiarity with probability and statistics is a good skill to have.
    T Clark Options
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