I'm not a mathematician and was miserable at math in school, but I apply these habits in the business world every day. They help me cut through a lot of crap that comes from other people's sloppy/lazy thinking.
>Anyone who has gone through an undergraduate math education has known a person (or been that person) to regularly point out that X statement is not precisely true in the very special case of Y that nobody intended to include as part of the discussion in the first place. It takes a lot of social maturity beyond the bare mathematical discourse to understand when this is appropriate and when its just annoying.
I don't disagree but would argue that the far more common problem is people - not just mathematicians, mind you - not considering definitions enough which ultimately leads to confusion and/or misunderstandings and consequently additional, unnecessary, cycles spent in discussion about "what do you really mean?"
[0]: http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2016/05/how-th...
How am I not surprised that in an article about US espionage the American state media makes sure to remind yet again us how bad, bad, bad the Russians are.
Added: https://www.amazon.com/Blind-Mans-Bluff-Submarine-Espionage/...