[Maths-Education] Money Counts - and count more than maths.

[John & Kath Truran]

I did of course know the arguments about paedophiles, 1938, and librarians,
and I'm sure Peter Gates knows the principle that hard cases make bad laws.

What I have trouble understanding, however, is why Peter is angry with me
for suggesting that mathematics can be "good". Of course, the criteria we
use to judge goodness in mathematics are different from those we use to
judge goodness in people or goodness in how people use mathematics. It
seems to me that they are more intrinsic in the case of mathematics, more
se;f-referrent, less concerned with their effects on others. But I'm very
open to suggestions on this. But  I would say that one test I would apply
to any arfument put forward is to replace "mathematics" by "music" to see
if the case were still a strong one.

I was aware that Peter was a socialist, and that's not a problem for me. It
is good that we are able to fight for our values systems, and I try to do
my but too, though not as strongly or as often as Peter. But while
conceding that each teacher's values systems will impinge to some extent on
his or her teaching (and I am certainly conscious of some of the ways in
which mine do) I also see it as responsibility of a mathematics teacher to
make the mathematics central. Peter, as I read him, sees the balance as
quite different. I wonder what the consequences of our respective positions
are for the good of mathematics teaching as a whole.

I'm sorry if I've offended by using the word "collaborators". It was not
meant to offend. It was merely e-mail-ese for want of a readily available
better word, and I still can't think of one which doesn't have ovretones
for what I want to convey. Help is welcome.


John Truran
PO Box 157
Goodwood
South Australia 5034
+618 8373 0490 ph
truranjk@camtech.net.au