Canadian mathematician says numeracy leads to a better society | Books - Canada.com

It’s more than two decades since Canadian mathematician and playwright John Mighton found himself playing a small role in the film, Good Will Hunting, as Postmedia News, canada.com reports.

John Mighton
Photo: Chris Chapman   

What he didn’t expect when he took on the job was that he would end up making a vital contribution to a screenplay that would go on to win an Oscar for its writers, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.

What happened on that occasion tells you a great deal about Mighton’s commitment to the belief that society grossly underestimates the intellectual capacity of human beings — a belief reiterated with quiet eloquence in his latest book, All Things Being Equal.

The film’s interiors were being shot at the University of Toronto, and Mighton had originally been invited to to serve as consultant on a project that dealt with the trials and tribulations of a young mathematical genius played Matt Damon. The consulting assignment fell through; instead director Gus Van Sant asked Mighton to take on the role of a fellow student who is jealous of the main character, Will Hunting...

He states the purpose of his latest book firmly in his final chapter:

“I believe that we would have a more equitable, civil and prosperous society if everyone had a basic understanding of simple algebra, fractions, ratios, percentages, probability and statistics. I also believe that almost any adult could acquire this fundamental; knowledge in several weeks.”

During those early days of tutoring, Mighton wasn’t just seeing changes in his students — he was seeing changes in himself. Which is why, in his early thirties, he returned to university, this time as a mathematics undergraduate, his research eventually earning him a major post-doctoral fellowship.
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Recommended Reading

All Things Being Equal:
Why Math Is the Key to a Better World

Source: Canada.com