Is it necessary for mathematics to continue as a required course?

Nicholson Baker detests mathematics (see note). This novelist and essayist penned an eight-page article in *Harper's Magazine* criticizing the mandatory teaching of algebra in American schools. At best, he describes this subject as stubborn; at worst, it is entirely painful.

Baker argues that today’s demand for mathematical skills is a relic of the Cold War era. In 1950, only 25% of American students studied algebra. Meanwhile, in the Soviet Union, things were quite different—many mathematicians were cultivated. One reason was that, compared to experimental sciences, the tools required for teaching mathematics were minimal: just paper and pen. Seeing the large number of young mathematicians emerging in Russia, the U.S. passed the *National Defense Education Act* in 1958, reinstating the compulsory status of mathematics courses in America. At the same time, this also created many unhappy students who struggled painfully with math, gradually losing confidence and even developing a dislike for school.