IME (as a math-degree-haver) the value of mathematics is in improving one's ability to mentally model and reason about complicated real-world phenomena. A lot of folks lose sight of the reality and get lost in the mysticism, especially within the academic regime.
> [Mathematics] is the purest and most beautiful of all the intellectual disciplines. It is the universal language, both of human beings and of the universe itself. [...] That doesn’t mean it’s easy — no, mathematics is an incredibly challenging discipline, and there is nothing easy or straightforward about it
I am always, always going to condemn this unnecessary mystification and idealization of mathematics. It's exclusive and misleading.
> [Mathematics] is the purest and most beautiful of all the intellectual disciplines. It is the universal language, both of human beings and of the universe itself. [...] That doesn’t mean it’s easy — no, mathematics is an incredibly challenging discipline, and there is nothing easy or straightforward about it
I am always, always going to condemn this unnecessary mystification and idealization of mathematics. It's exclusive and misleading.