If you follow education, you know that there's been a lot of noise recently about the dramatic decline in Americans getting degrees (especially advanced degrees) in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). This recent report (free; registration required) from the National Academies of Science, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine is typical.
What I find most striking is the complete absence of any discussion of such fundamental factors as (a) the family, (b) the disintegration of marriage, and (c) the social fragmentation associated with modernism. I'm sure there's lots of good work here, but it seems ineffective at best to focus on fourth and fifth order effects and ignore the fundamentals that are driving this shift.
Reminds me of the old cliche about scientists climbing up the mountain and finding theologians at the top.
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