Says the
cover of BusinessWeek. It's a pretty lightweight article (see the amusing graphic
How much math do you need to know?), but in all seriousness I do believe the economic returns to mathematical ability are going up and up. Yet, oddly,
salaries of scientists have been stagnant in real terms over the last decade. (See also
here.)
Steve,
ReplyDeleteYes, the 'unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics' is astonishing. That is why the US is better off putting more money into math and theo physics etc, even if most of those Ph.D s will not be able to work in their fields in the future.
BTW, there is a typo in the Bible:
" Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the math geek: for they shall inherit the earth."
This might resonate in the Bible Belt.
MFA