Is Science and Technology All We Need?

There has already been plenty of commentary on last week's State of the Union speech. My observations are a little late, I know. But I have been thinking about it and wanted to share my thoughts on one point - the educational needs of our youth.

The president wants the United States to be a country that accomplishes great things. He said that one of the biggest obstacles to our doing so is the poor state of science and math education. We rank way behind many other nations in these subjects that are so critical to innovation. Calling this a Sputnik moment (I wonder how many of our poorly educated youth know what Sputnik was?) he urged that we accept the challenge to once again become world leaders in the sciences and technology.

I think that is good, as far as it goes. I was disturbed, however, that the president did not also call for a thorough education in the humanities. Science and technology will show what we can do, but it is the humanities, and I would add theology, that show us what we ought to do.

Not everything possible to be done, even if profitable, even if they are things that provide employment and economic growth, are good things. How do we know what is good and right and worthy of our nation's energies? Through the study of philosophy and literature and history and art and, most of all, through theology.

I hope that our nation does rise to the challenge of this Sputnik moment and seeks to do great things. But I hope too that we rise to the challenge to ensure that those great things are also good.