In Folha, Viana analyzes the power of mathematics and its effects.

Reproduction of Marcelo Viana's column in Folha de S. Paulo. "The world we are heading towards has mathematics everywhere. And I don't mean that in the sense of 'Mathematics is in everything, children!'. I'm talking about something concrete and somewhat somber." The statement is from one of the participants in the documentary "Counted Out," by filmmaker Vicki Abeles. The film, whose title can be loosely translated as "Excluded by Mathematics," delves into the major crises of our times—climate change, political polarization, economic and racial inequalities, the pandemic—and how our (lack of) understanding of mathematics affects the ability of each individual, and of society as a whole, to understand the underlying issues and deal with them. One example is the typically American phenomenon of "gerrymandering," the maneuvers of the ruling party in each state to define electoral districts, usually artificially, to increase its electoral advantage at the expense of the representation of voters of the other party. The solution to this problem necessarily involves mathematics, the only thing that can provide a transparent criterion of what is or is not artificial. But when proposals in this sense were brought to the Supreme Court, they were dismissed by conservative justices because they were considered "sociological nonsense": the assumption was that people (starting with the justices…) would never accept a mathematical rule they don't understand. Read more: Applications open for the 2025 selection process at IMPA Tech Center Pi uses neural networks to locate oil at sea Viana assumes the Otavio Frias Filho Chair on November 6th Increasingly, critical decisions about our lives, who we know, what education we receive, what news we read, what jobs we achieve, are made by mathematical tools, data, statistics, algorithms, which very few understand. About 40% of Americans develop diabetes during their lives, but only 9% have the basic mathematical skills to manage the treatment. Only 37% can pass a basic financial mathematics test. And more than 90% have suffered at some point from math anxiety, a negative emotional reaction that weakens and even blocks reasoning ability. I don't know what the corresponding numbers are in Brazil, but I doubt they are very different. Why are people so afraid of mathematics? And, with so much at stake, what are the consequences of this state of affairs? "Whether we like it or not, understanding mathematical language is a determining factor of economic and social power. When we limit access to mathematics to a select few, we limit our progress as a society," says Abeles. And he goes further: "Without the ability to understand numbers and their consequences, people are excluded and manipulated. I realized that mathematical proficiency is not just a necessity, it is a civic right. You need a certain level of mathematical ability to fully exercise your citizenship." To read the full article, visit the newspaper's website. Also read: Post-doctoral fellowship application deadline extended Opinion piece in Globo: 'Science is not a bargaining chip'