Although the traditional sciences still follow a course of Descartian reductionism, a new sort of generalism is evolving. Whole new fields that attempt to tie together vastly different subjects have been born. As James Lovelock noted, Ecology is nothing more than the study of the relationships between the sciences, man, and the environment. Ecology transcends any one science or discipline. Intelligent decisions about any aspect of this multifaceted discipline can be made only with at least some basic knowledge of all of its components.
Ecology is perhaps only the most visible tip of a revolution in science.
Chaos theory, discovered by mathematicians, seems to underlie much of the nature of the universe. The hotly debated metaphysical concept of Gaia involves biologists, chemists, atmospheric scientists, philosophers and ministers. The recent cold fusion experiments were conducted by chemists, not the traditional physicists. The vast breadth and intricately interwoven structure of modern science demands that we train a generation of Renaissance Men - those who understand the science and technology that will be called upon to solve society's largest problems, yet who see the whole picture including social, political, and human issues. In lieu of a technically literate populous, decisions will be left to politicians whose technical knowledge is limited or nonexistent, and whose views sometimes seem more a product of third-party lobbying efforts than social conscience.