The U．S．Supreme Court has forbidden prayers in
public schools，but many Americans cling to the idea that their educational
system has a moral purpose．It is an idea common to both the Greeks and the
medieval Church．In today’s world， the moral purpose of education takes
non-religious forms，racial integration，sex education，good citizenship．At the
college level，the ambiguities become more complex．Should a morally objectionable
person be allowed to teach？Should a morally objectionable doctrine be
permitted？ Many people are understandably dismayed by such
inspection．But would they prefer moral neutrality？Should engineers be trained to
build highways without being taught any concern for the homes they
displace？Should prospective corporate managers learn how to increase profits
regardless of pollution or unemployment？Just the opposite，according to Beyond
the Ivory Tower，a new book by Harvard’s Bok，which calls for increased emphasis
on“applied ethics”．(Writes Bok．“A university that refuses to take moral dilemmas
seriously violates its basic obligations to society．”)
Religious colleges have always practiced a similar preaching．But some 500
schools now offer courses in the field．The Government supports such studies with
a program known as EVIST，which stands for Ethics and Values in Science and
Technology (and which sounds as though a computer had already taken charge of
the matter)．“The modern university is rooted in the scientific method，having
essentially turned its back on religion，”says Steven Muller，president of John
Hopkins．“The scientific method is a marvelous means of inquiry，but it
really doesn’t provide a value system．The biggest failing in higher
education today is that we fall short in exposing students to values．”
Charles Muscatine，a professor of English at Berkeley and member of a
committee that is analyzing liberal arts curriculums for the Association of
American Colleges，is even harsher．He calls today’s education programs“a
marvelous convenience for low-quality society．”The key goal of education，says
Muscatine，should be“informed decision making that recognizes there is a moral
component to life．”Instead，he says，most universities are“spreading the dangerous
myth that technical skills are more important than moral reasoning．” In the author’s opinion，education should______．
A. be focused on moral courses．
B. have a religious component．
C. do away with objectionable doctrines．
D. try to enhance students’moral standards．