Pastafarianist comments on The Affect Heuristic - Less Wrong

35 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 27 November 2007 07:58AM

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Comment author: TimS 19 April 2012 07:41:03PM *  5 points [-]

Because it doesn't seem to me like an explanation at all.

Doing badly on written word problems can be explained by illiteracy. Why can't doing badly on math problems be explained by innumeracy (i.e. failure to comprehend mathematical concepts)?

When regression toward the mean is considered a moderate to advanced mathematical concept, I don't think innumeracy is an unreasonable label of the average person. Certainly it is a reasonable critique of the education system that it does not reliably generate numerate graduates (on parallel with the critique that some specific education systems do not reliably generate graduates who can read).

Comment author: Pastafarianist 23 July 2014 04:54:54PM *  0 points [-]

Doing badly on written word problems can be explained by failure to comprehend linguistic concepts. Doing badly on math problems can be explained by failure to comprehend mathematical concepts.

You see, this explanation makes perfect sense.