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This is a really good point I think! Up until the last few months, I've avoided doing any math with my brain that I'm not required to do (so, no brain math sinc

This is a really good point I think! Up until the last few months, I've avoided doing any math with my brain that I'm not required to do (so, no brain math since college). Just recently I've been picking up some books about the history and philosophy of math like Fermat's Enigma and Everything and More (I'm a sucker for DFW, so this was a no-brainer when math was back on my radar). Now every evening I find myself saying out loud, "why the hell didn't the math teachers explain it like this." For example, we all learn about the Pythagorean Theorem, but why didn't we learn about the Pythagorean Brotherhood[1] a little bit? And feel just a little bit of the excitement that Pythaogoras did when he found an exposed wire of the universe and figured out how to work it. Fun fact: Pythagoras had to pay his first pupil to listen to him. No one gave a shit, probably not too different than how kids don't give a shit today. But the kids we're teaching don't even get paid, they're told their true reward is something intangible or some vague math-fu. All this while they have a black hole for their mind in their pocket where at least the fall is comfy. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagoreanism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagoreanism

systemBuilder 9y ago
I am surprised you would say that about David Foster Wallace. I went to school with him from kindergarten until 6th grade and 10th through 12th grade, in Urbana, Illinois. Math was never his strong point. However he wrote manic funny stories that would make you laugh so hard you would start to cry. That is why you have to limit yourself to 20 Pages a day at most.
- jackstraw14 9y ago
  Well I think the reason I like his math book is because it's his typical style on a different topic, so it's a more relaxed read and not something like a hard math book. The first words of the book are something like "Unfortunately this is an introduction you actually have to read" which if you've read much DFW you just kind of settle in right away. He does mention in the book that the only math classes he had any success with were AP classes. I think it's dedicated to his teacher. But really it makes no attempt to disguise that it's mostly the math angle of his uneasiness with the world and yep I agree with you on the 20 pages a day.

systemBuilder 9y ago

I am surprised you would say that about David Foster Wallace. I went to school with him from kindergarten until 6th grade and 10th through 12th grade, in Urbana, Illinois. Math was never his strong point. However he wrote manic funny stories that would make you laugh so hard you would start to cry. That is why you have to limit yourself to 20 Pages a day at most.

jackstraw14 9y ago
Well I think the reason I like his math book is because it's his typical style on a different topic, so it's a more relaxed read and not something like a hard math book. The first words of the book are something like "Unfortunately this is an introduction you actually have to read" which if you've read much DFW you just kind of settle in right away. He does mention in the book that the only math classes he had any success with were AP classes. I think it's dedicated to his teacher. But really it makes no attempt to disguise that it's mostly the math angle of his uneasiness with the world and yep I agree with you on the 20 pages a day.