4 ms·

This is hubris. I can think of many adults that know nothing of Calc and do very in life and work. Knowing basic accounting, being able to fix things around t

This is hubris. I can think of many adults that know nothing of Calc and do very in life and work. Knowing basic accounting, being able to fix things around the house, being pleasant to work with, etc are far more important.

simulate-me 5y ago
> Knowing basic accounting, being able to fix things around the house, being pleasant to work with, etc are far more important. Those are totally useless skills. If you live in America and your only contribution to society is being pleasant, knowing how to fix things around the house, and basic accounting, then expect your livelihood to be replaced by someone willing to do your unskilled work overseas for a fraction of the cost in the very near future. Not to be harsh, but that's the reality.
- kragen 5y ago
  Seems like that trend will result in wages between "America" (I guess you mean the US and don't know Bolivia is in America) equalizing with the rest of the world. Also, fixing things is highly skilled work and very hard to offshore.
  - simulate-me 5y ago
    > Bolivia Don't you mean the Plurinational State of Bolivia?
    - kragen 5y ago
      That's the one. Although Gran Bolivia is also in America, parts of it have fairly high wages, and it hasn't been the common meaning of the name "Bolivia" for 200 years.
- jobs_throwaway 5y ago
  how are overseas workers going to able to fix things around the house?
time_to_smile 5y ago
It maybe "idealistic" but I would hardly call it "hubris". My undergrad was in a non-technical area and so I never had to take calc in undergrad. Having later learned it to solve problems, it has become clear to me that it would be preferable if everyone with a college degree knew calc. I was, in retrospect, wrong to have tried to avoid it. I'm well aware we don't live in that world, unfortunately many people with a college degree also don't know write effectively, or perform critical analysis on texts, things I also thing should be part of being college educated. > Knowing basic accounting, being able to fix things around the house, being pleasant to work with, etc are far more important. I'm not sure how knowing calculus reduces these things.
crmd 5y ago
Calculus changed the way I look at the world. I suck at math and had to repeat calc ii, but holy hell am I thankful it was a core requirement at my school. I wish more liberal arts kids could have the same opportunity.
lordnacho 5y ago
The GP talked about being educated, not being pleasant or productive. Everyone needs to learn calculus because it opens up a gate into a form of beauty that no amount of work can ever satisfy. The idea that people only need to learn what they need to live their external lives, those of work and interpersonal relations, is just wrong. You need to learn calculus as part of your own internal life.

simulate-me 5y ago

> Knowing basic accounting, being able to fix things around the house, being pleasant to work with, etc are far more important. Those are totally useless skills. If you live in America and your only contribution to society is being pleasant, knowing how to fix things around the house, and basic accounting, then expect your livelihood to be replaced by someone willing to do your unskilled work overseas for a fraction of the cost in the very near future. Not to be harsh, but that's the reality.

kragen 5y ago
Seems like that trend will result in wages between "America" (I guess you mean the US and don't know Bolivia is in America) equalizing with the rest of the world. Also, fixing things is highly skilled work and very hard to offshore.
- simulate-me 5y ago
  > Bolivia Don't you mean the Plurinational State of Bolivia?
  - kragen 5y ago
    That's the one. Although Gran Bolivia is also in America, parts of it have fairly high wages, and it hasn't been the common meaning of the name "Bolivia" for 200 years.
jobs_throwaway 5y ago
how are overseas workers going to able to fix things around the house?

time_to_smile 5y ago

It maybe "idealistic" but I would hardly call it "hubris". My undergrad was in a non-technical area and so I never had to take calc in undergrad. Having later learned it to solve problems, it has become clear to me that it would be preferable if everyone with a college degree knew calc. I was, in retrospect, wrong to have tried to avoid it. I'm well aware we don't live in that world, unfortunately many people with a college degree also don't know write effectively, or perform critical analysis on texts, things I also thing should be part of being college educated. > Knowing basic accounting, being able to fix things around the house, being pleasant to work with, etc are far more important. I'm not sure how knowing calculus reduces these things.

crmd 5y ago

Calculus changed the way I look at the world. I suck at math and had to repeat calc ii, but holy hell am I thankful it was a core requirement at my school. I wish more liberal arts kids could have the same opportunity.

lordnacho 5y ago

The GP talked about being educated, not being pleasant or productive. Everyone needs to learn calculus because it opens up a gate into a form of beauty that no amount of work can ever satisfy. The idea that people only need to learn what they need to live their external lives, those of work and interpersonal relations, is just wrong. You need to learn calculus as part of your own internal life.