E.O. Wilson is an eminent Harvard biologist and best-selling author. I salute him for his accomplishments. But he couldn’t be more wrong in his recent piece in the Wall Street Journal (adapted from his new book Letters to a Young Scientist), in which he tells aspiring scientists that they don’t need mathematics to thrive. He starts out by saying: “Many of the most successful scientists in the world today are mathematically no more than semiliterate … I speak as an authority on this subject because I myself am an extreme case.” This would have been fine if he had followed with: “But you, young scientists, don’t have to be like me, so let’s see if I can help you overcome your fear of math.” Alas, the octogenarian authority on social insects takes the opposite tack. Turns out he actually believes not only that the fear is justified, but that most scientists don’t need math. “I got by, and so can you” is his attitude. Sadly, it’s clear from the article that the reason Wilson makes these errors is that, based on his own limited experience, he does not understand what mathematics is and how it is used in science. Continue reading at 'Slate'
[ Slate | 2013-04-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
Publisher felt inclusion of the country in children’s reference book would have been ‘unacceptable’ to Gulf customersAn atlas designed for use in Middle Eastern schools that omitted Israel from the map is to be pulped after drawing heavy criticism, its publisher HarperCollins has said.The... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-01-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The best-selling author behind The Shining has returned to its central character, 36 years after the book was first published, for his latest novel. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2013-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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E.O. Wilson is an eminent Harvard biologist and best-selling author. I salute him for his accomplishments. But he couldn’t be more wrong in his recent piece in the Wall Street Journal (adapted from his new book Letters to a Young Scientist), in which he tells aspiring scientists that they don’t... Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2013-04-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this