David Appell correctly is astonished that educated people should not worry if they don’t understand basic scientific concepts. I’m not surprised, however, that his example cites a British writer, Brenda Maddox. There’s still an insidious belief in Britain that science and math are a sort of grubby, get-your-hands-dirty trade, unlike the far superior, more dignified knowledge that comes from the humanities.
As Chris Bertram noted, the consistently wrong Simon Jenkins recently decided “maths is on the way out”. I can hardly imagine any statement that could display greater misunderstanding of our world.
I suspect most of us never think about our bank, other than for what’s in our account. But I have to say I’m feeling particularly pleased today that the Co-operative Bank has reported that it turned away £4 million in business from companies that didn’t meet its ethical standards. I bank with Smile, the Co-op Bank’s Internet arm.