I was actually expecting this when I clicked on the post. I don't think that Lockhart's criticisms are unique to mathematics, I think it's an endemic problem with the educational system.
Music is more or less taught as Lockhart describes in in the musicians nightmare. Art education isn't quite that dire, but it's close.
If you can't use a standardised test to evaluate somebody in a subject, it's of no value to the educational system.
I completely agree (though it is some years since I was at school).
Still, as Lockhart points out: at least art and music are recognised as arts. Surely even the ropiest music and art educations at least admit that these arts are:
1. ends in themselves, because
2. they are beautiful.
I believe these opinions are entirely absent from most mathematics education.
