I picked this up in an anti-fundamentalist post that I'm linking, but it makes for interesting reading. But I'm interested in hearing from other people about why set theory would be a problem? http://boingboing.net/2012/08/07/wh...li.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
I am a Christian math professor. I exist in the real world. Let me assure everyone, it has application and it is not troubling to our faith. Moreover, even if set theory did not have application it is still worth study. It is a dangerous and wrong idea that impractical ideas are not worthy of study. In any event, it is disappointing that Abeka sees the need to remove set theory. It is certainly not the case at most Christian universities. Set theory is nothing to fear from a Christian perspective. I happen to know many practicing Christians who would fit the description "fundamentalist" who are also math professors. We have no qualms about set theory (well, some of us have some foundational questions, but, those are not really Christian concerns, those concerns exist in the secular sphere just the same). In short, this is an Abeka problem, not a Christian problem.
Set theory is used for understanding how groups of things relate to each other. A very simple example -- all Tigers are cats, but not all cats are Tigers. To represent this in a Venn diagram, you'd draw a big circle that is "cats" and a small circle entirely inside it that is "Tigers". Sometimes groups overlap, too. So if some coins are quarters and some quarters are coins, you'd have two circles overlapping each other, but with areas that don't overlap that represent coins that are not quarters and quarters that are not coins. (a quarter of beef, for example) It's really not rocket science, it's just a way of visualizing stuff that is really pretty easy for kids to get. And it's very useful, conceptually, to be able to understand the ways that categories can relate to each other -- basic logic that we need everyday. Absorbing a fluency in how categories relate to each other is pretty fundamental stuff for fractions, measurement, unit CONVERSION, algebra, geometry, calc... So yeah...I have no idea why anyone would demonize it or fail to see it's value.
Yes, dear, I've studied it myself. What is the point of bringing up this "discussion" from TWO years ago?
Apparently the new poster is a math teacher? Would make sense he/she would be interested in math posts? Makes sense to me
Simple, I recently ran into the article which began this thread in another forum I read. Upon googling this was one of the top results. I thought it might be useful to have some balance to the many commentators who are willing to just believe that the silly idea of Abeka is somehow representative of Christian math educators as a whole.
I'm new here and all...but this is fishy even to me...lol...just sayin...oh...and carry on math peeps...I have no beef with math ;-)
I'm like TendinButterfly...I have no beef with math...but I wondered if the the issue with set theory could be because as it becomes more advanced it seems to be more abstract and Abeka math tries to teach concrete?
"Many commentators" There weren't any here. Two posts and it died. Two years ago. I don't have a beef with math, either.