Comment by tgv
2 days ago
> the vast majority of people in the Soviet Union were very math literate
I doubt that.
> although indeed most became engineers
And that is demonstrably false.
Anyway, most of your argument boils down to: there's a bunch of people that can't do a certain task, there's a bunch that has mediocre skills, a few that are good, and a handful that's really good. There's no argument, just observation, not even related to effort, which is what this discussion is about.
And maths is no different from sports or music in that sense. Most people suck at math, and will always suck at it. The things described in the article are personal reflections of elite mathematicians. They have no bearing on development of knowledge and skills of us mortals, if only because those reflections have no truth value. It's all just "feel good" thoughts, no data, nothing provable, etc.
Yes, effort improves skill, but everyone has a limit, and the ones with the high limits we call talented.
> I doubt that.
Not even the most vicious polemicists of communist states deny that i.e. the superiority of the Soviet-era education system.
https://www.amazon.com/What-Ivan-Knows-Johnny-Doesnt/dp/4871...
which is also why the following statement
> Most people suck at math, and will always suck at it.
is strictly US-centric.
> Anyway, most of your argument boils down to: there's a bunch of people that can't do a certain task, there's a bunch that has mediocre skills, a few that are good, and a handful that's really good. There's no argument, just observation, not even related to effort, which is what this discussion is about.
No, you came up with that cause you have a very poor understanding of what constitutes a good musician which, like any other typical HNer believes, is another LeetCode type of thing where the more problems like a good little monkey you can solve, the smarter you become. And I already stated that there are people striving in the arts, even more than the ones with the supposedly 'better' skills according to absurd and clueless standards you set, i.e. no, those who can't access specific repertoire easily are not people that can't do a certain task or a bunch that has mediocre skills.
> And maths is no different from sports or music in that sense.
Let me guess, you also think that if painters can't draw photorealistically they're not deserving the artist title and lack talent? Or that the opera is all about who can sing the highest note?
Anyone who lumps every discipline within one other like that without realizing they require completely different things to be considered successful at and believe everything boils down to some supposedly 'objective' absurd video-game like character strategy always serves to remind that the US today has nothing to offer other than hi-tech bombing technology and horrific subculture.
Nowhere did I deny the existence of some people having the innate ability to absorb skills faster and better than the others and of course this is an interdisciplinary fact. But it definitely doesn't hold the same weight for every single discipline for one to strive.