We must make math like reading

Several inventions changed the nature of the human race.  The invention of language allowed for more precise communication between humans.  The invention of writing allowed for precise storage of thought.  The invention of alphabets and ideograms became mechanisms to allow written thoughts to be understood in a standard way to a widespread group of people.  The invention of logic allowed for precise methods of reasoning to be independently verified by people almost regardless of what language they speak.  The invention of mathematics led to enablement of communication of the development of science and technology.

Please note that I am purposely not trying to separate the notion of invention and discovery.  Since the purpose of this note is about communication, the difference between invention and discovery is a distraction.

In the last thousand years, humans have transitioned from a largely illiterate population to requiring literacy to be able to function in society.  The printing press has largely been responsible in reducing the cost of reproducing the written word and the Internet has largely been responsible for reducing the cost of delivering content.  Changes in society occurred in which written word is a part of every day life, governing how we work and how we trade goods and services.

While reading and writing have become a large part of human endeavors, mathematics beyond arithmetic is not a part of most people's lives.  People are often taught algebra, some go on to learn geometry and trigonometry.  Even though calculus is not a new subject in mathematics (invented in the late 1600's), the fraction of people using calculus in daily life is very small.  The fraction of people using higher math than calculus is even a much smaller fraction.  We have a significant part of the population that are functionally illiterate when it comes to the use of mathematics.

The main effect of having a large fraction of humans illiterate in mathematics is that it is very hard to participate in substantive discussions regarding science and technology.  Instead, people are relegated to discussions about how they might use technology after it is created, but not on what and how technology will progress and what scientists are studying, often at taxpayer expense.

The method of teaching mathematics is akin to forcing everybody to go through the history of the development of mathematics.  We spend a lot of time practicing the mechanisms of arithmetic and algebra when we have machines that do these tasks quite well.  We are not addressing the really difficult problem, teaching the conceptual foundation of mathematics rather than the mechanistic drilling of multiplication tables.

We must make math like reading.  If we solve the problem of teaching the conceptual framework of mathematics along with use of technology to do the mechanical parts of mathematics, we will see an increase in the human condition similar to the adoption of universal literacy.