I agree that if you're going to teach just one field of math, then calculus is not the optimal choice.
Really? I think it's very beautiful and it's what hooked me. And it's the bit the scientists use. What would you teach everyone instead?
As far as possible, we should allow students to learn more and help guide them to the sciences. But scientists are in the end a small minority of the population and some things are important to teach to everyone. I don't think calculus passes that test, and neither does classic geometry and analytic geometry, which received a lot of time in my school.
Instead I would teach statistics, basic probability theory, programming (if you can sell it as applied math), basic set and number theory (e.g. countable and uncountable infinities, rational and real numbers),...
Another month has passed and here is a new rationality quotes thread. The usual rules are:
And one new rule: