<p>"let them eat cake' Even if MA never uttered these words they are indicative if an important truth. </p>
<p>We need to admit that the Asia and the subcontinent is producing engineers, mathematicians, chemists, physicists and computer sciencetists in far greater numbers than American colleges and univesities. In the common vocabulary they are eating our lunch!</p>
<p>In the global world in which we live is the generalist liberal arts education neccessarily superior to the "carreer track" of the engineers, doctors, scientists populating our colleges and universities? Perhaps we could categorize them as having their lunch eaten.</p>
<p>Most of my students go on to be active, high level participants in local, regional, state, and national life. Perhaps they may not be able to appreciate a sunrise or sunset as poetically as a LAC grad BUT they are able to compete with an engineer in Seoul or Mumbai. And I would wish them to be able to be inspired by that sunrise or sunset.</p>
<p>But in order to survive as an economic power, we need to admit that it is as important to educate engineers as it is to educate philosohhers. It is important to educate prospective mathmaticians as it is to educate classicists.</p>
<p>They are all important but neither is inferior or superior to the other.</p>