E.O. Wilson Is Wrong About Math and Science

Wilson is an eminent Harvard biologist and best-selling author. He starts out by saying: “Many of the most successful scientists in the world today are mathematically no more than semiliterate … I speak as an authority on this subject because I myself am an extreme case.” This would have been fine if he had followed with: “But you, young scientists, don’t have to be like me, so let’s see if I can help you overcome your fear of math.” Alas, the octogenarian authority on social insects takes the opposite tack. Sadly, it’s clear from the article that the reason Wilson makes these errors is that, based on his own limited experience, he does not understand what mathematics is and how it is used in science. Charles Darwin rightfully spoke of math endowing us “with something like a new sense.” History teaches that mathematical ideas that looked abstract and esoteric yesterday led to spectacular scientific advances of today. Since I’m not an expert in evolutionary theory, I can’t offer an opinion, but I find this controversy interesting given Wilson’s thesis that “great scientists don’t need math.” One thing should be clear: While our perception of the physical world can always be distorted, our perception of the mathematical truths can’t be.