4

'







~ will foster interest in technology.

. civilization as a false scientism,

- his successors is likely to encour-

_ richal believes that there will be

Page Four

THE COLLEGE NEWS

Wednesday, December ‘18, 1957



Faculty Poll on Education’s ‘Swing to Science’ Continued

Continued from Page 3, Col. 5

how to use it to man’s good. All
science is a gift of God to man for
his good use of it; if knowledge and
love of man are not developed at
the same time, you can’t use the
gift properly. But so long as you
have a free state, people will con-
tinue to study the humanities.”



Isabel G. MacCaffery, English:

“There is already a strong swing
to the sciences. There will be a
lot of talk about a ‘strong swing’
to the sciences to the detriment of
the humanities. I personally am
for anything that will increase ed-
ucation.

“Bryn Mawr will not be adverse-
ly affected. For one thing scien-
tists who teach at colleges, rather
than earning millions in industry,
are doing so from a belief in the
liberal arts. The scientists here at
Bryn Mawr are humanists.

“T think this tendency to reap-
praisal and controversy will be a
good thing in a way.”



Geddes MacGregor, Philosophy
and Religion:
“No doubt Sputnik and the like

But I do not see that this is detri-
mental to education in the long
run, After all, technological meth-
ods are used in every branch of
learning; increasingly so. An ex-
cessive preoccupation with the
technological aspects of any sub-
ject is, of course, a symptom of
narrow-mindedness and sterility;
but the danger of this is no great-
er in the sciences than in the hu-
manities.
“I have no distrust of science
welcome anything that pro-
motes interest in it. Not science,
but false scientism is dangerous to
genuine education. From my point
of view as a Christian, a false hu-
manism is just as detrimental to

to say the least, A- ‘liberal edu-
cation in the humanities’ that is
based on the presumption that
Christian theology is not to be
taken seriously is no more promis-
ing than would be the sort of edu-
cation that devotion to Sputnik and

age. From a Christian point of
view, people can be just as fatuous
about fine art as they can be about
any science; and they can be more
fatwous about religion than any
other field of human interest. False
humanism certainly engenders
pride and dishonesty as effectively
as false scientism. A _ reverent
scientific spirit is as hopeful, on
the other hand, as is a reverent
humanistic one, It can be at least
as effective in leading man away
from his innate ignorance. To
do so is, I believe, implied in the
etymology of the word ‘educa-
tion’.”

Juan Marichal, Spanish: feels
that one of the most important re-
sults of the new _ technological
achievements is that they have
made people aware of the impor-
tance of using one’s mental re-
sources. ¢
~ In commenting “ona: possible"
swing to the sciences, Mr. Marichal
said that it is interesting to note
the influence of world affairs upon
the students’ choice of courses. He
cited as example the fact that.
after the war, the German lan-
guage declined in popularity, and
in like manner when Germany took
over France, the study of French
declined and Spanish became more
popular, He added that at the pres-
ent time there is more of an equi-
librium between the three lan-
guages. In a like manner Mr. Ma-

not only a tendency towards the





On the subject of American edu-
cation, Mr. Marichal commented
that there is a tendency to say that
things are wrong with American
education and that this is false.
He feels that on the college level
there is nothing wrong with Amer-
ican education, In fact, he de-
scribes Bryn Mawr as “a model
for many colleges.”

On the high school level, how-
ever, Mr. Marichal feels that there
are some things to be desired. He
feels that it is a fallacy that all
Americans have the same oppor-
tunities because of the difference
in the quality of” public high
schools throughout the United
States. He suggests that a poss-
ible way of improving them would
be to have the federal government
establish (but not enforce) a set
of standards for American high
schools.



Berthe Marti, Latin: “The scienc-
es need strengthening everywhere
and so do the humanities, Every
part of the college which is
strengthened adds strength to the
whole.”



Machteld J. Mellink, Classical
Archaeology: thinks that “minds
are made for certain specialties
and the top minds in science now
would be working in science any-
way,” while the top minds in the
humanities cannot be attracted
from their field. Perhaps workers
“on a lower level” might be drawn
to the sciences, but they are “ul-
timately not the people who mat-
ter.” That the “trend in general
subjects of study” at Bryn Mawr
will be affected is unlikely, al-
though “people not so pronounced
in their predilection may be led
from the humanities.”

The Sputnik business makes it
clear that, if it is not to be done
“in a totalitarian way,” the coun-
try needs many top minds trained
in the humanities to “organize its
effort to make a Sputnik.” Per-
haps if we had “more wise states-
men trained in the humanities,
there might be less upset at the
moment.”

In general, such a “shaking
things up” is good, if it makes
people “do what they’re doing in
a better way, imstead of sliding
along in grooves.”



Agnes K. Michels, Latin:

“From my own experience, |
can’t believe that a wiser under-
standing of science could do any-
thing but illuminate the study of
humanities, I am not talking about
technical or factual information,
but the basic concepts of science.
I think most of us in the humani-
ties are missing a fascinating and
stimulating experience by not
knowing more about scientific
theory. ,

“From social contact with scien-
tists, it seems to me that scien-
tists are better educated and far
more interested in the humanities
than people in humanities are in
science. It ig my impression that
people of my own generation train-
ed in the humanities are scientifi-
cally illiterate and I.should hate to
see another generation grow up in
the same state of ignorance as to |
the exciting ideas which the scien-
tists have been keeping to them-
selves, I cannot believe that Bryn
Mawr could be hurt by an in-
creased understanding of the na-
ture of scientific thought and
would like to point out that a
great many other colleges of the
same type as Bryn Mawr require
more science for the B.A. degree.”



' Walter C. Michels, Physics: (Ex-
cerpt from his speech “Science
and the Liberal Education” deliv-
ered before the Cynwyd Parent





the present time lies in the fact
that a combination of advertising,
faulty education, and a taste for
material things has led to a great
confusion ‘between science and
technology. It is nearly impossible
to convince the average person that
all of the technological progress
that has taken place since 1700 has
resulted from basic research which
did not have any specific applica-
tion of science as its goal.

By the beginning of the present
century, a great mass of technol-
ogy threatened to bog down the
engineering curriculum. More and
more time was devoted to applica-
tions; less and less to pure science
or to the humanities. It was not
long before engineering faculties
saw that they had moved too far
in their efforts to prepare their
graduates for direct and immediate
usefulness to industry. Under the
leadership of such men as Robert
A. Millikan, Karl T. Compton, and
Ray Palmer Baker, the engineer-
ing schools began experimenting
with ways in which they could
accomplish the needed reforms
without sacrificing more engineer-
ing work than could be afforded.
Faced with an apparently insoluble
problem, they found new and more
effective ways of teaching litera-
ture, economics and the sciences.

If the liberal arts colleges and
the engineering schools have mov-
ed as far as they have toward com-
mon ground, why should the con-
troversy be rearing its ugly head?
I suspect strongly that it is be-
cause the humanists who welcomed
scientists into their fold in the
middle of the nineteenth century
have been unwilling since to change
their concepts and practices as
rapidly as did the engineers, or as
rapidly as the times have demand-
ed.

The inclusion of an appreciable
amount of work in the humanities
in the education of every scientist
allows him to understand what
his non-scientific friends are talk-
ing about, while the failure of our
school and college curricula to pro-
vide an adequate background in
science for non-scientists prevents
them from accepting the conversa-
tions of scientists as anything
more than jargon.”



Jane Oppenheimer, Biology:

“If there should occur rather
generally a strong swing to the sci-
ences at the expense of the human-
ities, I do not believe that there
would be much effect on education
in liberal arts colleges like Bryn
‘Mawr. Such colleges consider
training in various disciplines, and
a judicious balance of work in di-
verse fields, as the basis of the
curriculum, ’ It seems: most unlike-
ly that the emphasis of such a bal-
ance would be abandoned by liber-
al arts colleges no matter what
other groups decided to do.”



John C. Oxtoby, Mathematics:

I hope there will be more em-
phasis on the sciences. I don’t think
there will be any detriment to the
humanities. It should affect liber-
al arts colleges and Bryn Mawr in
the long run.



tractive by-product of a new em-
phasis on science might be the
funds to complete the two science
buildings.”



Arthur Colby Sprague, English:

“There may well be a swing to-
ward the sciences, but I. don’t
think it will be to the detriment of
the humanities. Indeed it may
make for higher standards in mat-
ters of precise scholarship in many
courses.”



K. Laurence Stapleton, English:

“1, The true scientist values the
humanities, is often himself a great
‘humanist.’ Neglect of humanistic
studies would be detrimental to
science.

2. The defense of America de-
mands an emphasis on basic re-
search in science at this time. But
the deeper question, how peace is
to ibe achieved and maintained,
requires experiment of the kind
fostered by humanistic studies.

3. The strength of a college like
Bryn Mawr is derived from the

‘combination of scientific and lib-

eral arts studies. symbolized by the
‘basic requirements for the degree.
The concept of the liberal arts has
always included both the humani-
ties and science. ~

4, Artificial methods of recruit-
ing manpower for science, if en-
couraged iby the government, would
probably be detrimental to human-
istic studies and thus to society it-

self.” Mey

John R. Pruett, Physics: said that
although he hoped there would be
a swing to sciences and it would
have some impact on a school such
as Bryn Mawr, he added, “I would
fight just asvhard to keep it from
being a detriment to the human-
ities.”” Mr. Pruett stressed the point
that science belongs in a liberal
arts school because true science is
a liberal arts subject. Here, accord-
ing to Mr. Preutt, a fine line must
be drawn between pure science and
technology; technology being the
field in which we are behind the
Russians.

A great deal of difficulty in the
U. S., remarked Mr. Pruett, stems
from the: general anti-intellectual,
anti-scientist attitude prevailing in
this country. The people are not
well enough informed, and conse-
quently regard scientists as pecul-
iar, asserted Mr. Pruett. Perhaps
humanities students should take as
much science as science students
take of humanities he suggested.
As for the real answer to this diffi-
cult question, Mr. Pruett said, “I
do not know what the solution is.”





Roger H. Wells, Political Science:

“There are some Americans who
would push science to the detri-
ment of the humanities by empha-
sizing ‘crash’ programs. They must
be resisted. What is. needed is a
better education all around which
strives for a more adequate bal-
ance among the disciplines. Such a
a balance should stress the inter-
disciplinary approach far more
than has, been done. For example
the educated person should know
about atomic energy but he should



Joseph Sloane, History of Art:

“The question, or rather the
answer to it, depends on what we
as a people decide to do about
our education. Any attempt to
equate education in its entirety
with scientific education as such
would tbe disastrous, but if we
realize that from grade school on
we must tighten up our minds,
that we must concentrate on real
learying and forego some of the
mental ice cream sodas we have
been feeding our students, then
much good will be done. Bryn
Mawr should flourish since she
has always emphasized the kind







a

sciences but also a growing inter-
eat in the Russian language. ~~"

| Study Group—November 19, 1957.)



Sa.*





also think deeply about the poli-|
cal, economic and social implica-
tions ‘of atomic energy.

The goal of the liberal arts col-
lege should remain the same—the
education of the whole man. If
the college is doing its job, it will
continuously reappraise its cur-
riculum without waiting for ‘sput-
niks’ or other technological achieve-
ments.”



Mary K. Woodworth, English:
1. “Although there may be in
the next few years some increase
in registration for science courses,
I think that there will be no appre-

himanities,.”

2. “No. After the initial hys-
teria passes, the American people
will recover their sights, and real-
ize that a well-balanced civiliza-
tion requires humanists as well as
scientists. One of the most stupid
ways to imitate the Russians would
be to force all students to concen-
trate upon science. We do not want
a robot civilization. America is a
rich enough country to be able to
afford both students of science and
students of the hurhaditiek”



Morton S. Baratz, Economics:

“These assumptions underlie my
answer:

“1. There will be an increasing
proportion of would-be science ma-
jors among the applicants for ad-
mission to liberal arts colleges.

“2. There will be an increase in
the amount of financial aid to col-
leges from public and private
sources. An increasing percentage
of this aid will be earmarked for
science education.

“3. Administrators of the col-
leges will attempt to restrict the
extent of the shift in favor of the

sciences, but with varying degrees

of vigor and-success.

“If these assumptions are valid,
the postion of the sciences will be
significantly improved, i.e, the
cience departments will have more
and better students, as well as
money. Only in a relative sense,
however, will these gains be made
at the expense of the humanities
and the social sciences. For as the
new funds earmarked for the sci-
ences flow into the colleges, some
part of the existing resources now
committed to that use can be re-
allocated to the humanities. To
illustrate: Bryn Mawr has had to
draw in some part on its existing
resources to finance the science
buildings now under construction.
Had it instead received a private
or public grant for that purpose,
some of the mnoey it is nowpspend-
ing for construction could have
been diverted to other needs of the
college.

“To summarize, the heightened
interest in science—if it lasts any
length of time—will result in ab-
solute gains for all departments
in the colleges, although the sci-
ences will enjoy relatively greater
gains. The extent of the growth of
the sciences, in comparison with
other areas of study, will, of
course, vary inversely with the de-
termination of college administra-
tors to preserve “balance” in the
curriculum,

“Now, what should be the effect
on liberal arts colleges, such as
Bryn Mawr? A liberal arts col-
lege is not worthy of that name

| which does not offer its students

both scientific and humanistic
studies. Such a college, moveover,
seeks to produce scientists who are
humanists and humanists who are
scientists. Im other words, a lib-
eral education is one which stress-
es, in every special field, concepts
rather than techniques, methodol-
ogy rather than methods. . Thus,
the sciences and humanities are

vious limites the stature of one can
not be enhanced at the expense of
the other.

“Tt -follows;—therefoye, that the

wage war against nor surrender
unconditionally to the current
vogue for science. On the contrary,
they should strive to remain what
they are—sanctums of the liberal
arts, all of them.”



Jose Ferrater Mora, Philosophy:

“QUESTION. 1. I think (when I
think) that there will be a swing
voward the sciences. I do not be-
lieve, however, that it will be over-
whleming, still less than it will be
to the detriment of the humanities.



fully complementaary. Within ob- |

liberal arts colleges should neithes*-——