Past and Future

In recent weeks there has been lots of news about recent U.S. education studies and surveys. It is the usual stuff, sad to say, the U.S. lags in math and sciences, and does not do too well in social sciences or government. I am bothered by the latter areas as well as the former. Now that our politicians are turning to pop-t.v. to campaign, and comedy shows have become stomping blocks, we really need an educated electorate to see through the smoke and mirrors.

The was a message board the other day where a number of UC-Berkeley students concluded that since they were learning important subject matter such as chemistry and engineering, why should they worry about Second World War battles, or who the Agriculture Secretary was in the 1930s. While I understand their point, choices and decisions that occurred generations ago still effect us today. Serbs and Croatians were terrible enemies, and more importantly were exceedingly cruel to each other. Europe is still hobbled by some of the results of WW I. If we have a global community, we have to understand why folks respond to each other the way that they do. A lot of hurt sometimes takes a long time to heal.

While we might not be responsible for times past, our concern should be in the political sphere, the economic relationships we have with other nations, the ecology, cultural projects and world poverty and the basic needs of peoples. Education has a moral function. We need to know what the main thing is.