An unexpected tool for understanding inequality: abstract math

The world is awash
with divisive arguments,

conflict, fake news,

victimhood,

exploitation, prejudice,
bigotry, blame, shouting,

and minuscule attention spans.

It can sometimes seem

that we are doomed to take sides,

be stuck in echo chambers,

and never agree again.

It can sometimes seem
like a race to the bottom,

where everyone is calling out
somebody else's privilege

and vying to show that they

are the most hard-done-by person
in the conversation.

How can we make sense

in a world that doesn't?

I have a tool for understanding
this confusing world of ours,

a tool that you might not expect:

abstract mathematics.

I am a pure mathematician.

Traditionally, pure maths
is like the theory of maths,

where applied maths is applied
to real problems like building bridges

and flying planes

and controlling traffic flow.

But I'm going to talk about a way
that pure maths applies directly

to our a daily lives as a way of thinking.

I don't solve quadratic equations
to help me with my daily life,

but I do use mathematical thinking
to help me understand arguments

and to empathize with other people.

And so pure maths helps me
with the entire human world.

But before I talk about
the entire human world,

I need to talk about something
that you might think of

as irrelevant schools maths:

factors of numbers.

We're going to start by thinking
about the factors of 30.

Now, if this makes you shudder
with bad memories of school maths lessons,

I sympathize,

because I found school
maths lessons boring too.

But I'm pretty sure we are going
to take this in a direction

that is very different
from what happened at school.

So what are the factors of 30?