I’ve just read the book Conflicting Science Policy by Antti Hautamäki andPirjo Ståhle. They contend that universities are grappling with the conflict between the expectations of the marketplace and the ideals of scientific inquiry. Universities should not exist simply to help maintain the economy; they also have a broad educational mission. Citing the philosopher Martha Nussbaum, the authors argue that technology and economic status are insufficient to ensure well-being. We need the humanities to teach people skills for democracy. The key idea of the book is that the university should influence the development of society more actively—for example, by addressing such problems as climate change, aging and sustainable development. These difficult problems cannot be solved solely by research within a single discipline. They call for a multidisciplinary approach to problem-solving, and for cooperation among all stakeholders. The authors go on to say that a country like Finland can’t compete directly with the dominant Anglo-American universities; the annual budget for Harvard is 3.7 billion dollars, while Helsinki University’s is 830 million. Therefore Finland should choose its own path, developing itself as a center for science and innovation, whose universities focus on solving mankind’s wicked problems through interdisciplinary collaboration.