As a start on this subject of Science and Society, I offer the following small essay that is rooted in science but is also unique to the American experience.
American Genius – Strength for a Nation Under Stress
At this time of great stress for our nation, it’s only natural that we ask: “exactly what has been the magic formula that has carried us from despair to world leading success so many times in our rich history?” Without question America is exceptional - in the history of our little, blue- green planet there has never been anything like it. This is not a statement rooted in fanatic patriotism; it’s not cultural egotism; it’s just a simple fact. But we have to go beyond pride in order to tap the golden vein of American strength. America was not, of course, the first democracy. It is the oldest and it remains as Ben Franklin called it the “great experiment” –welding together diverse philosophies, cultures, religions, and viewpoints. The American democratic experiment has somehow found a way to balance these social and intellectual forces – and that balance is itself our greatest strength – the strength that will once again pull us through.
For some, balanced thinking is the same as scientific reasoning – completely free of ideological rigidity. America has had outstanding success in science and technology and this is a key part of the national foundation. It’s no accident that many of our founding fathers had a deep interest in science. The most obvious, of course, is Franklin. Science was not a hobby for him. He made deep, profound contributions to electrical science right at the same time he was helping to forge the new American democracy. Franklin is said to have defended American independence on the grounds that a whole new culture had evolved through colonizing the vast wilderness and taming huge new sources of energy – this is scientific thinking at its best.
But the real key for our nation’s future is creative, innovative thinking that spans the space from the workshop or laboratory to the rural healthcare cooperative, from the Yankee Town Hall meeting to the National Weather Service. This flexible yet creative spirit is what has propelled America to enormous world altering achievements and is the fundamental strength that will carry it through the current challenges. There are also natural deeply rooted principles that blend the individual and community, the singular genius with collective inspiration, the spark of free markets built on an educated, healthy society.
In a magnificent new book called “Land of Promise”, Michael Lind has documented the essential role of a balanced public and private support of innovation and infrastructure in the success of our nation. And yet the spark, the vitalizing force of America is not quite crystallized by this recognition alone. I believe that the key lies in the balance itself – the unique American blending of social, political, economic ideas from all parts of the spectrum of human views. Books like Lind’s prove that those claiming that the answers lie at the extremes are dead wrong. But just recognizing this is not enough. We must find a way to develop a new public dialog. We need to have the same spirit of unbiased, creative – yes even scientific thinking that exploded in the fireworks of our drive to independence.
Clearly a new national dialog has to be built by an educated and informed populace.
Education and public sponsorship of research are clearly part of that “American Spark”. America didn’t somehow corner the IQ market. It did, however, provide the fertile ground where creative ideas could grow more fully than ever before. Our nation’s emergence as the preeminent world economic power was coincident with the explosive growth of American education in the late 19th century (see D.E. Williams, “…..Lessons from the Morrill Act”). But let’s not forget that the Morrill (Land Grant) Act, the GI Bill and similar demonstrations of American national wisdom not only expanded knowledge but made education available to a much wider portion of the American populace. In addition, the Morrill Act was not just a federal government program but strongly encouraged local innovation at the state level- once again recognizing that balancing in our society is essential. Recent reversals of the trend toward widely available education and training are perilous for our nation- not only from a perspective of fairness but also basic economics.
I’m an intellectual child of the 60’s. I willingly leaped into the world of space and computers, riding the wave of uniformly positive public opinion of science and technology and American success. Unfortunately that wave has to a great degree, broken on the shore of rigid ideology, stereotyped thinking and prejudice. It can be revived, however, and with it a more methodical, logical approach to our problems. The “give and take” of American politics has assured that we constantly search for the right balance. In order to bring this “American genius” to its full flower we must now move beyond the era of ideology, set aside the anachronisms of liberal and conservative stereotypes. A great piece of Presidential wisdom on this subject has been was unfairly overlooked. Dwight Eisenhower once said: “balance in and among national programs, between public and private economy balance cost and hoped for advantages… good judgment seeks balance and progress”
