Descartes selects math because of the
feeling of certainty you get when you
understand a problem. There are no
differences of opinion, custom, etc. in
math. People don't argue about, say,
whether Johnny (or Janey) should be
taught 2 + 3 = 5, but they do argue about
whether he should be taught

Columbus discovered America

Columbus was a courageous explorer
whose discovery of should be celebrated

"It's OK to be gay"

Self esteem

Evolution and/or Creation

People disagree on these questions
because they concern history, science,
religion, morality and politics. But no one
disagrees on basic mathematical truths.

Also, if you've ever been in a math class
where there's a question about a
problem, people end up agreeing about
the answer after a while. Not always so in
political science or philosophy class :-)

Prof. Borrowdale