Forty years ago, in 1948, two of our nation's outstanding educators entered into a debate which was printed. These outstanding educators were Robert Hutchins, then Chancellor of the University of Chicago, and James B. Connant, then President of Harvard. The discussion dealt with the structure of a university curriculum. The basis for the debate was the recognition that persons in leadership must determine what ideals they would like for their country to adhere to. Human values must be ordered so that some things are judged to be better than others. But, what is the source of the values. Are some values objectively higher than others?

Hutchins took the position that some values are objectively higher than others. If this isn't so, then values are capricious and changeable. Hutchins took th…