The World Looks at the American Program

Abstract

Technical proficiency is insufficient apart from a liberal education. On the intellectual level, the liberal mind, that trusts reason and rejoices in the truth and, therefore, does not contradict for the sake of contradiction, is the only answer to communism. The United States should see that the foreign students in this country are liberally as well as technically educated. Abroad, the United States would do well to spon sor educational institutions in countries lacking the adminis trative framework, philosophy of education, organization, trained personnel, and elementary tools to do it themselves. As the universal language of communication, English brings opportunity to those who master it for disseminating knowl edge and culture, for good or evil, throughout the world. The United States could, also, assist printing in the vernaculars. Thoroughly trained experts in Asian and African languages and cultures should be prepared and sent abroad. Europe should be drawn into a cultural as well as military and political alli ance with the United States in confronting the world. A phi losophy and practice of universal humanism are called for. A cultural emergency exists today precisely because cultural ob ligations were not understood and acted upon in the past.—Ed.