Habits of highly mathematical people
Couldn't this also be titled "Habits of high rational people", with mathematics simply being one application?I'm not a mathematician and was miserable at math in school, but I apply these habits in the business world every day. They help me cut through a lot of crap that comes from other people's sloppy/lazy thinking.>Anyone who has gone through an undergraduate math education has known a person (or been that person) to regularly point out that X statement is not precisely true in the very special case of Y that nobody intended to include as part of the discussion in the first place. It takes a lot of social maturity beyond the bare mathematical discourse to understand when this is appropriate and when it’s just annoying.I don't disagree but would argue that the far more common problem is people - not just mathematicians, mind you - not considering definitions enough which ultimately leads to confusion and/or misunderstandings and consequently additional, unnecessary, cycles spent in discussion about "what do you really mean?"