Several years ago, I attended a public lecture by a professor of political science at a local university. Naturally, he brought up Plato’s Republic. The professor rightly pointed out that although “political science” was the crown of philosophy, a sound knowledge of mathematics was required for entry into the Academy. The professor explained why: mathematics was a simpler science than philosophy.

You couldn’t help notice all the old women looking knowingly around at each other. In school, they had been made to feel inferior because they struggled with maths. But yet, clearly they understand politics, don’t they? After all, they support all the best liberal causes. Thus, they are actually intellectually superior to all those mathematicians!

The real point of the story, which seems to have eluded even the professor, was that those ignorant of maths could not properly understand the intricacies of political thought.