Eric Zuniga, Campus Carrier staff writer
There is a common perception that study in the humanities, fine arts and social sciences is a pointless endeavor. Those who hold this belief argue that humanities degrees are essentially worthless, failing to prepare students with the useful skills they’ll need to succeed in the real world. As such, many parents discourage their children from studying fields like literature or history, and many students think of money first when choosing a major.
This skepticism of the humanities is having real effects, with an American Academy of Arts and Sciences report finding the number of humanities degrees conferred declining by 14% over the past 10 years. But there’s little to support the underlying apprehension that humanities students are doomed to destitution after graduation. According to the same report, in 2018 humanities graduates have only a slightly higher unemployment rate, 3.6%, compared to graduates in other fields, who had a 2.9% unemployment rate.
Focusing so much on material outcomes, however, is antithetical to what the humanities are really about. Material comfort is certainly important, but I believe there are far more meaningful pursuits in life than the accumulation of money. For me, the best defense of the humanities and arts is that they’re necessary for a fulfilling life. They teach us to be better thinkers and instill an appreciation for the power of creativity.
As students at a liberal-arts college with a rigorous foundations curriculum, most Berry students regardless of major are aware of the fact that humanities courses tend to require a lot of reading and writing. What’s important about reading in these courses is the requirement of reading critically, going beyond simply what is said and asking why it’s being said. Whether you’re studying the figurative language of a Faulkner novel or evaluating the perspective of a historical primary source, you are forced to examine how language is being used. This is important, because we are always confronted with people and institutions in public who attempt to obfuscate the true meaning of what they say. Whether it’s a charismatic politician evading questions about policy plans or a corporation responding to allegations of misconduct, it’s this critical reading ability that allows us to see the ways in which language is being used to obscure the truth.
Additionally, the writing skills engendered by humanities and social science classes are essential not only for clear communication, but also for good thinking. Oftentimes, the most difficult part of writing is having something to say. Responding to a writing prompt requires that you come up with something to say — it forces you to think about the issue at hand. Writing well, additionally, requires that you consider the audience you’re writing to. You must justify and explain your ideas, which in turn makes you examine why you think the way you do. You begin to think for yourself, instead of just assuming that the beliefs you’ve picked up from tradition, your family and your social group are true.
Yes, the humanities teach you how to think well, but what’s more important is that they reveal that there’s more than one correct way of thinking. By focusing on people and the diverse societies they live in, humanities fields like history and sociology show that many of the assumptions we hold are not as clear-cut as we’d like to believe. It’s critical that we learn to question, for instance, the extent to which our country has held true to the ideals of democracy or equality, or how our unconscious biases are both reflected by and reinforced by the media we absorb. It’s also important that we learn that in most instances, there is more than one correct answer or useful approach to a problem. Whether we’re discussing the merit of diverging literary interpretations or the particulars of different schools of philosophy, the humanities teach us that even seemingly contradictory thoughts lead us to see more of the complete picture. In my opinion, this kind of open-mindedness is essential to becoming a mature, understanding person.
For me, though, nothing beats the expressive power of art. Anyone who has ever been deeply moved by music or has admired the beauty of an elegantly-written novel knows that artistic expression is one of the most powerful and transformative abilities people have. Far from being pointless, our ability to create beauty in a world that is so chaotic and oftentimes cruel is one of the most amazing things we can do. All people should be able to share in the appreciation and creation of art. I know that personally, literature has been my greatest source of comfort and amazement, while my experiences as a musician have allowed me to discover an important and essential part of myself. I would say that anyone who has not had the opportunity to experience the joy of understanding, performing and creating any of the arts hasn’t received a full education. Living a materially comfortable life is important, but the arts’ fulfillment of the soul is just as essential. STEM is undoubtedly important for understanding the complexity of the natural world and advancing our society technologically, but we should never forget about the humanities and the arts, because, after all, those are the things that make us human.