Actually, I think @stradmom wasn’t referring to gen eds specifically but was more broadly referring to a broad liberal arts curriculum, which Brown espouses themselves:
[iWhat does it mean to be broadly educated? The first Western universities conceived of the liberal arts as seven distinct modes of thought, three based on language (grammar, rhetoric, and logic), and four on number (arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy). While this structure has changed over the centuries, the basic concept has endured. A modern liberal arts education is still defined in terms of a core curriculum comprised of several areas of knowledge…A liberal education implies breadth and depth: basic knowledge in a range of disciplines, focused by more concentrated work in one. These goals are common to all liberal arts institutions.*
Brown is a liberal arts institution that emphasizes a liberal, broad education. Sure, there are no general education requirements, but you construct a curriculum with the guidance of your professors, and curriculum documents say directly that Brown undergrads are encouraged to keep an open mind and to take classes in a wide variety of fields to broaden their knowledge. Brown’s own curriculum document, “Liberal Learning at Brown,” emphasizes that Brown undergrads take classes to develop their speaking and writing, learn about differences between cultures, evaluate human behavior, learn what it means to study the past, experience scientific inquiry, develop a facility with symbolic languages, and other things…that are essentially the core of a liberal arts education. The only difference is that they don’t have strict divisional requirements, but a Brown student is unlikely to take only classes in their own major or field.
Modern bachelor’s degree programs are largely liberal arts educations, and most reputable universities espouse a broad, liberal way of learning. The original purpose of a university education wasn’t simple vocational preparation - it was to prepare citizens to function in a democratic society and be an active participant in civic life. The word “liberal” means “worthy of a free person.” The was that a free citizen should know how to read and write, think critically, defend oneself in court, participate in public debates, and take place in the vibrant cultural life of a free society…and that meant education in the arts, sciences, social sciences, and humanities.
Somewhere along the way, employers decided that having employees with a liberal arts education was a good thing - because they were adaptable, able to think critically and logically, analyze information, communicate well, etc. So the BA/BS became a requirement for many jobs, and so now a lot of undergrads think of college as a vocational requirement for employment rather than a well-rounded education.
But the other thing, OP, is that you have no idea what you’ll need in the future. You may have selected a major and a career for now, but your interests and tastes may change in the future and you don’t know what might emerge as useful later on. I was a psychology major in undergrad with an interest in math who took some additional math classes; later in, it turned out that the psychology could get pretty stats-heavy, and I developed an interest in research methods and statistics, and having the extra calculus and linear algebra was pretty helpful. I had to take an honors philosophy course in my freshman year, and I remember that it greatly enhanced my logical and critical thinking skills despite me not being overly excited about the readings. I took a couple of history classes and learned a lot of interesting stuff…that is absolutely tied to present-day tensions and situations around the world and gives some context to current conflicts, which helps me evaluate public debate and political candidates with a more measured eye.
The other thing is that exploration may define or narrow or sharpen or expand what you like. You may think you want to major in X until you take a few courses in Y and love it - and maybe you change your major, or add Y as a minor, or do an internship in Y and find a way to combine it with X in your career.