Overview

Our main objective in this class is to use the tools of mathematics to make better decisions.

Quantitative analysis is a powerful tool

  • What changes do you want to make in the world?
  • Quantitative analysis provides evidence that policies or interventions are effective

Quantitative analysis requires perseverance to learn

  • Building proficiency in mathematics is difficult
  • You can learn to persevere effectively through difficulty
  • You will often see concepts that were difficult as simple in retrospect

Quantitative analysis can improve your mental models

  • Do you want what you believe to be true?
  • Quantitative analysis can help us eliminate incorrect beliefs.
  • Being wrong is painful but short-lived.
  • Do you have evidence-based or vibes-based beliefs?

Quantitative skills inoculate you from bad faith arguments

We are also seeing that people are putting deliberately false but plausible news on the web because it will earn them money. How will you use your knowledge of mathematics to sharpen your critical thinking and separate falsehoods from legitimate reporting?

  • Are the arguments sound?
  • Are the math claims made to support the argument valid?
  • What alternate explanations are possible?

Posing Questions

  • We will often ask you to pose mathematical questions and decide how to answer them
  • This may be unfamiliar to you

Limits of Quantitative Argument and Reasoning

  • Mathematics can only describe the world as it is
  • It isn’t a good tool for claims about how it should be
  • Positive statements are about how the world is
  • Normative statements are how we think the world should be

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