Mathematics in Education

I met my professor teaching International Economics, and he explained to us his philosophy of using mathematical reasoning in his module. There seemed to be two claims: that mathematical training is useful in analyzing things and solving problems (whether used directly, or as rigorous training of that particular part of the mind), and that a university education serves to educate, instead of only teaching things that are useful for a career.

Although the justification of such claims are often long and complex (it is also an old issue, with many books and scholars on it, closely related to the development of reason), I hope they live up to his claims. Having used mathematics as a hobby, I for one doubt the value of its instrumental use. In fact, any industrial or business process comprises of many other tasks, and without the division of labour, mathematics might not be worth the investment. The majority of university graduates from NUS, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, probably do not end up in those specialized roles which require mathematics (I have not empirically verified this) .