Well guess the time has come for me to jump into the debate. One can live a happy and successful life without knowing how to solve simple linar equations, but the same could be said for the deaf, dumb and blind. Yes, one can over come a handy cap and be successful and happy, does that me it is good to be handicapped?
If one does not know algebra one does not know equations, if one does not know equations then one is deaf, dump and blind to almost all of the sciences. Perhaps the greatest achivement in all of human history, f=ma, is meaningless gibberish to such people.
Our maker reveals his hand in the absolute beauty of the mathicalical laws that describe our universe, but those lacking of even simple math skills will never be able to see or comprehend. It is really very sad. None are so blind as those that refuse to see.
I can't agree. I am to these people who don't understand algebra as Field's Medal winners are to me. Am I handicapped because my mathematical ability doesn't approach theirs? No, of course not. I'm no more handicapped because I don't undertand multivariate zeta functions, than I am handicapped because I can't dunk a basketball.