Chapter 7: The Mathematical State of the World: Explorations into the Characteristics of Mathematical Descriptions

Mathematics is a powerful tool. It influences our political decision-making in both process and outcome. A mathematical description of a given situation could, for instance, help us decide whether we should build more kindergartens, whether we should build a bridge in the cheaper way or the more expensive way, how many elderly people per hour an aged care worker should be expected to assist to take a shower, and so on. Therefore, the quality of the mathematical description that is involved in decision making becomes important.

But how do we define “quality” in relation to a mathematical description? One could argue that a good mathematical description is one that is based on a theoretically correct analysis of numerical data; that is, the quality depends on the mathematical treatment of numbers being rigorous, consistent and accurate. Many decisions of political interest and significance are motivated, however, by more than simple mathematical relations between data; for example many economic decisions refer to complex economic models, and environmental policies are founded on models that incorporate interpretations of what an ecological balance of the environment could mean.