Rep. Moulton is wrong about college

I am in disagreement with some of U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton’s positions as stated in the Recorder article on his run for Senate, opposing U.S. Sen. Edward Markey [“Moulton pitches new leadership, policy shifts in swing through region,” April 15].

Moulton is advocating for nuclear power, while downplaying sustainable energy, and without challenging the sudden rise in electrical power usage due mostly to controversial data centers.

He advocates for more vocational education in the state, which is important without a doubt. But he does this by diminishing college education. He states that colleges only teach facts, but that young people have facts at their fingertips now, so college is unnecessary.

This is an attack on higher education, which is one of Massachusetts’ best commodities. Massachusetts is a leader in biotechnology, engineering, information technology, finance, and medical practice and medical research. This is largely a result of the density and quality of higher education institutions in the state.

I beg to differ in his analysis of college. There is no college discipline that teaches only facts. Science and engineering encompass intensive laboratory research and experience, and provide logical thought and mathematics based theory and problem solving. College students learn languages, writing, and rhetoric. Colleges offer premedical majors with intensive training in science and English. Computer science teaches students how to code, to understand the theoretical limits of computing, and to understand artificial intelligence. Students in the arts learn creativity, performance, and art history. They may learn to practice many kinds of art and music therapy. The arts enhance our quality of life and are shown to increase the understanding of mathematics and sciences. Higher education also provides pathways to discovery, exposure to new ideas, and experiences with many people and cultures.

Without college education people with all “the facts” at their fingertips may not know what is true and what is false. How will people be able to act independently from artificial intelligence, to know its limits and to keep AI in check?

Finally, I find Moulton’s phrase the “Schumer-Markey establishment” to be a misdirection. Sen. Markey has one of the most progressive voting records, has called for Donald Trump’s impeachment, and co-sponsored the Green New Deal. Trying to equate Sen. Markey’s philosophy and his actions to Sen. Schumer is not correct.

Judy Franklin

Amherst