Friday, January 08, 2010

Oh the humanity

Here is an interesting article about the role and value of higher education in the humanities and whether it is being appropriately recognised by higher education and research funding policy. What's more interesting, and perhaps more depressing, however, is the set of 'Readers' comments' at the bottom.

1 comment:

DEM said...

I somehow find the idea of the humanities as the place where "virtue" resides or as that which allows us not to forget about the "soul" a little strange. I do think, by contrast, that critical thinking -- which may be acquired by studying e.g. philosophy -- allows us to better understand certain aspects of our lives or clarify certain difficult issues we may be dealing with. In general, the humanities may make people less stupid and, to a certain extent, less superficial. But I agree with the comment which says that there is no evidence whatsoever that the humanities make people better in a moral sense. There have been many well-known intellectuals who have endorsed positions which we now tend to consider highly immoral or completely absurd.