Yet another discussion on the radio about why so few people can understand mathematics. The general conclusion – it’s just too complicated; a language sui generis, impossible to translate, resistant to metaphor, allegory or analogy.
There is however a strong case for saying that the problem with maths is not complication, but simplicity.
Reality stripped bare, leaving only the outline of a skeleton of universal laws with the smallest possible number of elements.
But we humans must learn from the very beginning to cope with complexity, to see the whole, not just the fragments.
The hardest part of maths is to understand which bit I am supposed to be focussing on, to forget all the yes-buts.
Just what is the mathematician seeing & talking about?
