“The Heart of the Matter,” the just-released report by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences(AAAS), deserves praise for affirming the importance of the humanities and social sciences to the prosperity and security of liberal democracy in America. Regrettably, however, the report’s failure to address the true nature of the crisis facing liberal education may cause more harm than good.
In 2010, leading congressional Democrats and Republicans sent letters to the AAAS asking that it identify actions that could be taken by “federal, state and local governments, universities, foundations, educators, individual benefactors and others” to “maintain national excellence in humanities and social scientific scholarship and education.” In response, the American Academy formed the Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences. Among the commission’s 51 members are top-tier-university presidents, scholars, lawyers, judges, and business executives, as well as prominent figures from diplomacy, filmmaking, music and journalism.
The goals identified in the report are generally admirable. Because representative government presupposes an informed citizenry, the report supports full literacy, stresses the study of history and government, particularly American history and American government; and encourages the use of new digital technologies. To encourage innovation and competition, the report calls for increased investment in research, the crafting of coherent curricula that improve students’ ability to solve problems and communicate effectively in the 21st century, increased funding for teachers and the encouragement of scholars to bring their learning to bear on the great challenges of the day. The report also advocates greater study of foreign languages, international affairs and the expansion of study abroad programs.
Unfortunately, despite 2.5 years in the making, “The Heart of the Matter” never gets to the heart of the matter, the illiberal nature of liberal education at our leading colleges and universities. The commission ignores that for several decades America’s colleges and universities have produced graduates who don’t know the content and character of liberal education and are thus deprived of its benefits. Sadly, the spirit of inquiry once at home on campus has been replaced by the use of the humanities and social sciences as vehicles for publicizing “progressive,” or left-liberal propaganda.
Today, professors routinely treat the progressive interpretation of history and progressive public policy as the proper subject of study while portraying conservative or classical liberal ideas—such as free markets and self-reliance—as falling outside the boundaries of routine, and sometimes legitimate, intellectual investigation.
The AAAS displays great enthusiasm for liberal education. Yet its report may well set back reform by obscuring the depth and breadth of the challenge that Congress asked it to illuminate.
Influential figures in the Congress required that the AAAS report on how to _____.
细节题。题目问的是国会中有影响力的人（influential figures）对美国人文与科学院（AAAS）报告的要求，由此定位到第二段leading congressional Democrats and Republicans（国会主要的民主党和共和党人士），“他们要求AAAS制定政府、大学、组织及个人可以实施的方案（identify actions）”，用动词不定式to引出目的即保持美国在人文和社会学科学术和教育方面的卓越性（national excellence）。C项的keep a leading position是excellence的同义替换，意为“保持人文学科处于领先地位”故C项正确。A项“保持人们对人文教育的兴趣”文中并未提及；B项是利用government制造的干扰项，需要采取行动的不单单是政府，还有大学、教育者、个人等等；文章没有谈及个人受教育的权利被剥夺，D项safeguard…fights属无中生有。
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