The humanities may seem pointless, but that is the point

[Nom De Plume]

A few years ago, I was discussing the state of humanities education with a friend, a literature teacher in his 40s who was born in Italy. “When I was a kid, we never justified the humanities,” he said. “We never needed to. My mother didn’t know Latin. But she thought I should study it because Latin was part of the world, part of the reality of things.”

Perhaps being surrounded by artistic and architectural glory makes Italians particularly attuned to the value of humanistic endeavor. While one could critique the political and socioeconomic forces that lead to their creation, the Sistine Chapel, Vivaldi’s music and the city of Venice are all beautiful and worth contemplating in and of themselves. The Italian state-funded education system continues to be one of the best in Europe, extensively covering Latin, philosophy, classical literature and history. The existence of such schools, however, is contingent on a culture that values the humanities. What kind of culture does so?

In the United States, Catholic universities, especially Jesuit ones, still for the most part require courses in philosophy, literature, theology and history. But elsewhere, humanities education is imperiled and undervalued. Reasons include the academic labor system, rising tuition costs at elite schools and plummeting interest in humanities majors. There is also a cultural dimension, and that is our quasi-utilitarian value system. Under this system, the humanities are only worth studying if they are useful for something like ethical training or developing business skills. The latest version of this argument holds that Silicon Valley leaders should have studied literature and philosophy to avoid unethical applications of new technology. But thinking about literature and philosophy exclusively as useful—effectively, as tools—ultimately undermines the humanities.

https://www.americamagazine.org/arts-cu ... gtnpIM4lus

[Nicole]

If my 17 year old son, who I have just spent a fortune educating, wanted to do a BA I’d be gutted.

I had a friend who did a BA. She ended up a bank teller.

[Bobby]

If my 17 year old son, who I have just spent a fortune educating, wanted to do a BA I’d be gutted.

I had a friend who did a BA. She ended up a bank teller.

I know someone with 3 different BAs and they still can't find a job.

[Nom De Plume]

from the essay ...
"Under our quasi-utilitarian value system, the humanities are only worth studying if they are useful for something like developing business skills."

[brian ross]

If my 17 year old son, who I have just spent a fortune educating, wanted to do a BA I’d be gutted.

I had a friend who did a BA. She ended up a bank teller.

I have a Ba, "Nicole". I earn over 100K a year. There are Bas and their are difference Bas and it all depends on how you use what you learnt. Bas can be excellent learning tool in teaching rational thinking. They can also be useless as well - just as BScs and other degrees. To "be gutted" by your son learning and earning a degree suggests what about you?

[Redneck]

If my 17 year old son, who I have just spent a fortune educating, wanted to do a BA I’d be gutted.

I had a friend who did a BA. She ended up a bank teller.

I have a Ba, "Nicole". I earn over 100K a year. There are Bas and their are difference Bas and it all depends on how you use what you learnt. Bas can be excellent learning tool in teaching rational thinking. They can also be useless as well - just as BScs and other degrees. To "be gutted" by your son learning and earning a degree suggests what about you?

My son inlaw earnt over $500K last year, guess how many qualifications/degrees he has?

None!

He is just a fantastic sales person who sells multi million dollar contracts to the Federal government and is remunerated accordingly!

[Black Orchid]

If my 17 year old son, who I have just spent a fortune educating, wanted to do a BA I’d be gutted.

I had a friend who did a BA. She ended up a bank teller.

I have a Ba, "Nicole". I earn over 100K a year. There are Bas and their are difference Bas and it all depends on how you use what you learnt. Bas can be excellent learning tool in teaching rational thinking. They can also be useless as well - just as BScs and other degrees. To "be gutted" by your son learning and earning a degree suggests what about you?

[brian ross]

Good on him, Red. A degree isn't everything to everybody. A degree however shows that an individual has the wherewithal to learn and research a topic and indicate they have sufficient understanding to demonstrate that they know what they are talking about.

I have also an Masters and Doctor of Divinity degrees. They are both useful to me. I intend to get a PhD after I retire (when I have time).

What about you?

[brian ross]

If my 17 year old son, who I have just spent a fortune educating, wanted to do a BA I’d be gutted.

I had a friend who did a BA. She ended up a bank teller.

I have a Ba, "Nicole". I earn over 100K a year. There are Bas and their are difference Bas and it all depends on how you use what you learnt. Bas can be excellent learning tool in teaching rational thinking. They can also be useless as well - just as BScs and other degrees. To "be gutted" by your son learning and earning a degree suggests what about you?

Do you have any qualifications, Black Orchid? Any at all? Ever been to university? Ever been near a university? Ever?

[Black Orchid]

If my 17 year old son, who I have just spent a fortune educating, wanted to do a BA I’d be gutted.

I had a friend who did a BA. She ended up a bank teller.

I have a Ba, "Nicole". I earn over 100K a year. There are Bas and their are difference Bas and it all depends on how you use what you learnt. Bas can be excellent learning tool in teaching rational thinking. They can also be useless as well - just as BScs and other degrees. To "be gutted" by your son learning and earning a degree suggests what about you?

Do you have any qualifications, Black Orchid? Any at all? Ever been to university? Ever been near a university? Ever?

Feeling the pressure, Brian, so you go for the attempted condescension? We've been through this before, several times in fact. I am sorry that your mind is so muddled that you cannot seem to remember.