The purpose of a general education program is to produce generally well-educated adults who can function as informed citizens and engage in the popular intellectual debates of their time. The skills and frames of reference that are necessary for thoughtful, independent opinions are themselves the objects of debate, but there are points of agreement among educators seriously concerned about the learning we should expect of all students who complete a college degree. Edward O. Wilson's recent book, "The Social Conquest of Earth" (2012), provides a touchstone for a thoughtful discussion of the requirements that should constitute the breadth component of a twenty-first-century education. Most general education programs differentiate between requirements designed to foster intellectual skills and those intended to provide "content," a frame of reference or background information with which any educated adult should be familiar. Wilson's book can help educators design general education curricula by providing a model of interdisciplinary thinking, pointing to the frames of reference with which a generally well-educated person should be familiar, and presenting an argument to be tested against a wide range of data and theoretical perspectives.