A Liberal Education

Our role as citizens of a republic requires that we are well informed. Better information and a broad base of knowledge contribute to better decisions, including when we vote for public officials. No less an authority than John Adams said "Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people". At its most basic, how can one really appreciate our demoncracy, and how we got here, without knowing something about how the rest of the world has operated.

A university education is not job training. When did that pedestrian notion supplant the original, noble idea that a liberal education is essential to a fully engaged free person in a society?

Let's consider some practical aspects - like parenting. Children often come to us to inquire about the world. Even after the annoying "why" stage, they look to parents for guidance. About the news, what they read or see on TV, from people they play or study with from different cultures. So when little Sally or Johnny asks (for example) "why do the Israelis and Palestinians always fight", what are you going to tell them - run a spreadsheet? A limited span of knowledge just won't cut it in our complex world.

Math and science - we focus so much on "better math and science scores", and they are vitally important. But we are missing something basic by such a narrow educational call to action. After all, how we use technology is as crucial as having it. We need to be able to make wise, ethical choices or we lost control of our inventions.

How about travel - all the many places you will visit when you make your pile of dough won't resonate beyond the purely visual. Take it from me that it makes for a far more enriching - even thrilling - experience when you see the Parthenon if you know your Greek history.

Our founders did - they knew Greek and Roman history, plus much literature and political science. They studied the past for guidance - successes and failures, heroes and villains. How do you think they arrived at the inspired political structure embodied in our Constitution?

By the way, when was the last time you read the Constitution? It's only about 20 pages long and is written in plain English.

Which brings us back to our beginning. Ours is a complex world. We are an important nation that is founded on principles, the rule of law. These are essential preconditions to our democracy, and to the success of our business enterprise. So why not deepen your understanding of how we got here, and the good and bad that people are capable of. After all, history is the collective memory of our civilization.

Democracy requires effort, so let's get serious. A greater understanding of our world will help preserve our America, and yield unexpected rewards. A great deal is at risk: after all, the great Roman Empire fell.

So let's stop the narrow "it's not practical" outlook about education and expand our horizons. Let's follow the advice of another, wiser man who helped make all this possible. "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, it expects what never was and never will be." That's Thomas Jefferson - remember him?