"Of course, promoting maths and science education can stimulate innovation, but more powerful alternatives abound. For example: better management. In the innovation game, we have plenty of outstanding starters, but not nearly enough outstanding finishers." - says Chris Trimble, Faculty, Tuck School of Business.
The debate, was opened by the viewpoint
http://www.economist.com/debate/days/view/578#pro_statement_anchorNo doubt, science and maths are the backbone of the world, but so are subjects like economics, law, management, psychology. One of the best comments so far on the page read: The presumption that innovation is limited to math and the physical sciences is an insult to those who study history, philosophy, law, etc. Was not Plato an innovator? What of Locke, Rousseau, and Hume? I think we need to focus on the skills necessary to be an informed, educated and humane citizen in the modern world. Maths and science surely belong to this coterie. However, I think we may be missing the forest for the trees here.
Innovation exists everywhere, not just in math and the sciences. We don't spend enough time teaching our children how to think. We usually leave that to the universities. In current society however I think we need to teach children how to think independently at a much younger age. Critical thinking and the ability to articulate our point of view (and or innovations) is perhaps just as important as innovation itself. There are many brilliant minds teaching in universities. Not all of them are good teachers. Brilliant discoveries are frequently made but are often inaccessible to the lay person. True innovation comes when it is embraced by the masses. The leaders of tomorrow who can articulate a new idea and gain public acceptance of it; they will be our most important innovators.
What we need are fully developed people, capable of independent and critical thinking and able to relate to each other and work together in a team.
