cmgiuliani@watmath.UUCP (cmgiuliani) (05/17/84)
FACT: The percentage of women who know much about and are able to understand
Math is much lower than the cooresponding percentage of men.
HYPOTHESIS: This is because men are inherently (i.e. genetically) predisposed
to have a better mind for Math.
ALTERNATIVE HYPOTHESIS: This is because women are discouraged from studying
Math and related skills.
MANY OTHER HYPOTHESES: Some mixture of the above extremes.
But the fact is I don't care which of the above hypotheses is correct. I am
a male with a very above-average talent for math. I know many other males
with far greater talents for math. I also know not-as-many females with talents
for math that exceed mine. So I conclude that a significant number of females,
as well as males, have important mathematical abilities.
That is all that matters to me. Some men and some men are very good at math.
If more men than women study math, that is of little concern to me. It is
only of concern to the board of education, which must decide whether the
current situation is the natural order of life, of whether they should be
actively trying to change the situation.
As for the woman I work with, the girl I teach, or the daughter I raise, the
correctness of the above hypotheses is irrelevant. I am considering an
individual and have far more significant information available than such
generalizations.
Carlo @ the U of Waterloo