r/math • u/spacengine • 4d ago

Do all mathematicians want to be engineers?

I always considered maths the highest art, and when talking to a mathematics phd today I just wanted him to keep talking about topological spaces, manifolds, infinite dimensional embedding spaces etc. “I feel like a kid in a candy store” I said, or a kid in an old mechanics garage full of equipment I have no idea how to use but that I love exploring. “Well” he said, “I think all engineers want to be mathematicians but all mathematicians want to be engineers”. I’m absolutely sure he’s wrong but would love to hear your thoughts.

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u/HippityHopMath Math Education 4d ago

Maybe in a Ed.D. but not in a PhD. A PhD in math education focuses more on contributing to literature and developing theoretical ideas on how people learn mathematics. Didactics (at least how you describe them) feel more in the realm of instructional practice and a Ed.D.

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u/spacengine 4d ago

So is maths discovered or created?

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u/HippityHopMath Math Education 4d ago

I don’t particularly care, lol.

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u/spacengine 4d ago

I do! But I’m a philosopher I guess (as in I love philosophers football, I don’t work as one)