Is it time to abolish the liberal arts?

Parents Forum
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<p>We're having a similar discussion in College Life and I wanted to see the opinions of CC parents, most of whom I'm assuming are college educated. </p>

<p>My opinion: yes, absolutely, and it can't be done too soon. </p>

<p>I don't have time to go into as much detail as I'd like about why I think so, but basically: it's irresponsible for us as a society to continue to fund the study of worthless majors such as history, political science, psychology and so on with our present economy and the state of today's world. I say "worthless" because these majors teach students to gaze into the past rather than looking into the future. In addition, offering these majors lowers the quality of students at universities (think about all the American Studies or History majors you've ever known). We are living in a STEM century and there simply will be no room for liberal arts*** majors. </p>

<p>That's level 1, which deals with utility. Level 2 deals with a more practical concern, salary. STEM majors just make more than liberal arts majors, full stop. I know someone willl charge in here waving the banner of "but money isn't everything u guyz!!11!" but money is obviously a large contributor to one's self-worth and sense of self-satisfaction. Many liberal arts grads literally live below the poverty line and they sit around miserable and in horrible debt, wishing desperately that they had taken the sensible route and majored in STEM. And the sad part is that many of these people have post-graduate education! yet jobs in academia are limited, so these people are doomed to work the same menial, robotic jobs as their less-educated peers. </p>

<p>Level 3 deals with personal growth. Liberal arts majors simply do not learn any skills other than critical reading (and not even that, often - most of the liberal arts majors I know don't do any of their reading and BS all their assignments). STEM majors - with the exception of biology - learn quantitative reasoning, logic, group work, and so many other skills. In addition, most of the STEM majors I know are above-average writers who can communicate very well, and not in the flowery, indirect way in which liberal arts majors are taught to write.</p>

<p>***I define liberal arts here as, roughly, humanities and the social sciences, but I also implicate here majors such as communications, journalism, and inferior business-type degrees such as advertising</p>

<p>In closing, liberal arts educations should be abolished, or restricted to private schools, because: </p>

<p>*they don't adequately prepare students for a science-driven world.
*They stifle dissenting opinions and prevent students from exploring their viewpoints because students are taught to blindly drink down the opinions of their professors (who are often radical liberals).
*They almost invariably lead to poor salaries.
*They hinder one's ability to use quantitative reasoning in everyday life.
*They attract poor students who come to college just to party.
*They drain resources from important science-related research.
*They instill laziness and carelessness in students - in liberal arts, all the material is spoon fed to you, all you have to do is regurgitate it.
*They waste taxpayer money and cause many people to be unemployed.
*They give rise to a class of basically uneducated people who expound on the urgency of problems they know nothing about, such as global warming and energy technology.
*History, literature and so on explain themselves. Having 600 books written on one historical event is not useful and is just a way for people of mediocre intelligence to make money. Science and mathematics are the only disciplines that have real explanatory power in the 21st century. </p>

<p>talk amongst yourselves</p>

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<p>Another thing is that research (at the graduate level) in STEM advances the lifestyle of humankind whereas research in the humanities doesn’t contribute much except for like economics, etc.</p>

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<p>I suppose you think we should abolish the arts too (music, theater, dance, art, etc)? </p>

<p>I’m sorry but not every student wishes to work in the STEM fields. </p>

<p>Our world is a better place for the diverse types of study, and majors our students pursue. </p>

<p>I’m a strong advocate for a liberal arts education. And I support the arts as well. </p>

<p>And just FYI…one of my kids WAS an engineering major at a school that prides itself on its core course requirements (liberal arts).</p>

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<p>jawohl, herr kommandant.</p>

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<p>Both of our kids are getting a liberal arts education. Older one is graduating this May with a good job waiting for her. I don’t understant OP’s point.</p>

<p>I have a liberal arts education, managing very technical people. Wonder how I am able to do that, hmmm…Ok, maybe it’s all that critical thinking I learned while getting my liberal arts education.</p>

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<p>I rarely post but lurk daily, so you know something got my blood boiling if I chime in. The naivety of the OP literally BOGGLES my mind. There are BRILLIANT students that wouldn’t touch STEM with a 10 foot pole, a whole WORLD of arts, literature, social justice, ad infinitum. We are NOT all alike and NEVER will be. The insinuation of the OP is simply foolish and ignorant.</p>

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<p>I am sending my son to college to continue his education, not to study a trade. That is what graduate school is for. </p>

<p>The OP’s short sighted attitude towards education suggest to me this person studied a trade as an undergraduate.</p>

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<p>A scientist can design an atom bomb, but only a person trained in the “liberal arts” is trained to decide whether or not we should use it.</p>

<p>This is a totally inane post.</p>

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Why does one need to be “trained” in the liberal arts to decide that? Can’t a scientist familiar with foreign affairs do the same thing with as much judiciousness?</p>

<p>By the way, how many liberal arts majors do you know that daily make that kind of decision? :rolleyes:</p>

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<p>I love these types of posts because I can lol at the logic.</p>

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<p>Research from one of those worthless liberal arts fields (psychology) has shown that, beyond the level of poverty, this isn’t true. The hoards of people with bachelors who are living below the poverty line aren’t nearly as big as you fantasize them to be.</p>

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<p>Then the whole STEM community was crazy praising the solution of the Poincare Conjecture, considering that it will mainly changed the lives of topologists.</p>

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<p>No, it is not time to abolish the liberal arts.</p>

<p>Every single sentence that you wrote is awe-inspiringly wrong.</p>

<p>You lack the foresight of a gnat.</p>

<p>But please tell me more.</p>

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Puh-leeze. You’re not even in college yet. Trust me, your views will change once you get there. I hadn’t ever thought any of this before I got to college.</p>

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<p>Boy please. I don’t for one second believe you’re older than 15, to be so invested in your trolldom.</p>

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<p>Please make statements based on factual evidence. In reality I attend a Top 20 school and plan to graduate next year with a degree in Bioengineering. Also, I’d appreciate it if you would respond to my post, detailing specifically what it is you don’t like about it. Thanks</p>

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<p>“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”</p>

<p>George Santayana (1905) * Reason in Common Sense*</p>

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<p>^ A wise quote indeed, but guess what, I remember the past and I’ll continue to do so despite not majoring in history. In addition, I know more about history than many of my history friends. You can learn a lot about liberal arts disciplines just by reading books on your own time - NOT on the time of taxpayers, who aren’t paying for you to sit around reading Simone de Beauvoir and James Joyce while the economy is in the tank and our country is suffering through a political crisis</p>

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<p>Bioengineering? Gee, I hope you have to take an ethics class! Oh no, that’s in the philosophy department. Didn’t we abolish that?</p>

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<p>DD was a bioengineering major also. It’s no accident that she chose a university with a solid core course requirement in the liberal arts…that had a good engineering department. AND her next top requirement when choosing schools was one where she could continue to study her musical instrument AND play in the university orchestra. As she put it…life is more than just the study of engineering.</p>

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<p>Scientists are often reasonable while people often aren’t.</p>

<p>I have a BA and have been an engineer for the last 25 years.</p>

<p>In his iPad 2 launch presentation, Steve Jobs speaks about the intersection of technology and liberal arts. It’s a rather interesting presentation from someone running the most valuable technology company on the planet.</p>

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<p>I am a taxpayer and have no problem with students studying the liberal arts on my dime.</p>