There are things we all need to know. If you’re in school, lots of them can be found there. If you’re not, there are libraries, websites, adult ed …

Sciences and applied sciences are among the fundamentals of modern societies. The physics of internal combustion, electricity, gravity, flight, etc., are the bases of manufacturing, travel, communications, bridges, skyscrapers, satellites, and everyday appliances.

“Better living through chemistry” was a company’s slogan. It can be true: fertilizers, drugs, explosives, additives … It can be false: fertilizers, drugs, explosives, additives …

Biology explains how living things work and inter-relate (environmental science). Increasingly, it allows us to alter those workings; we’ve gone from breeding variants of plants and animals to fiddling with the genetic codes that define life. There’s something we need to think about!

Specific sciences are important. But the scientific method is generally applicable. It’s how the modern world thinks: gather new information, formulate theories, test via experiment, replication, observation. Do it again. Don’t ignore the results.

Economic theory may be too theoretical, but economic practice affects us every day. We buy and sell, borrow, save, and invest, pay our taxes and receive subsidies. Why is money valuable; these days it’s just paper or plastic? And why is gold still valuable despite this?

Politics may be grubby, but we’re stuck with it. Do we govern ourselves, and if so, how? Who do we elect, and what are their powers, at every level from select board and school board, to Congress, President, and Supreme Court, as defined and periodically re-defined by the Constitution? Why are some judges appointed, others elected? What and why is the Electoral College, and how can a candidate who got fewer popular votes become President?

History tells us how we and our environment got to this point, and offers suggestions (not certainties) about what’s next. Can we avoid re-inventing the wheel, especially the square wheel?

The arts: language, literature, vision, music, take us beyond the necessary mundane. They help us enjoy the benefits of all those other subjects.

I’ve said some of this before. But some things need reiteration.

David R. Jones is currently addressing some his deficiencies in science.

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