Academic

Humanities in Hard Times

By Laura Appleman

Today's New York Times has an article discussing the drop in interest in the humanities which tends to occur during recessionary times:

As a firm believer in and disciple of the humanities, I wanted to offer a slightly different viewpoint.  As tempting as it is to jump on the bandwagon of practicality during a fiscal crisis, I still see a strong role for the humanities going forward.  And I  truly hope that Anthony Kronman, former dean of Yale Law School and one of my mentors, is incorrect in his prediction that a humanities education may become "?a great luxury that many cannot afford.?

In law training, of course, having a humanities background of some sort is a great help.  Law still remains a field of reading and writing (and, yes, document production), and I've found that those purely science, tech or business undergrads have a real disadvantage when it comes to adapting to law school.   It's hard to write a memo or a brief when you've done virtually no writing at all in high school or college!  Certainly those coming from literary or historical training have a jump start in that first year of school, and possibly later on as well.

More broadly that that, however, learning and investing in the humanities provides a blueprint for living.   Not just ethical living, as the article points out, but a roadmap for a richer and more fulfilling life.  Whether it's Seneca or Saint-Saens, the liberal arts help us give texture and meaning to our daily existence.  And in a world where job security is non-existent and disaster looms around every corner, finding a way to live beyond and through the quotidian realities of survival seems all the more essential.  We aren't the first to go through a period like this, nor will we be the last.  Let the humanities light the way.

Full post as published by The Faculty Lounge on February 25, 2009 (boomark / email).