As humanity progresses into the 21st century, technology progresses as well. It seems like every day, there is a new advancement in AI, and every day, the stress and emphasis on studying STEM increases. More and more people are turning away from the arts and humanities, with many giving negative reactions to those who major in arts and humanities. But the big question is why?
Way back when, when the world was much different, and technology wasn’t as apparent, people in the arts and humanities were highly regarded (however it must be acknowledged that it was mostly people of high privilege who could do so, but nonetheless). Artists were revered, not taunted for “doodling” or “making something a child could make”. Historians were respected for their knowledge of the world and the ancient world, not ridiculed for studying something “useless”. Philosophers were the world’s thinkers, bringing new ideas and concepts; they questioned the big questions of life.
Where did it go awry?
The truth is that young people are discouraged from further studying the arts and humanities, many claiming that it will not come to fruition and be a waste of time. STEM brings in all the money right?
In The Daily Campus’ article, “Our love-hate relationship with the arts and humanities” by Madeline Papcun she writes “We discourage young adults from creative pursuits, falsely assuming that more technical or scientific degrees have a higher market value.” She later goes on to write “In general, people are hypocritical with regards to the arts and humanities.” Social media comments have proved this point countless times, spewing hate against those who study the humanities subjects, saying things like “get a real job” or “study something real.” Papcun shares that “…think about how ingrained the idea of a “starving artist” is into our popular culture. The lack of support for creative pursuits is present even in school budgets — music, art and drama programs are often the first to receive cuts when funding is scarce. Tragically, the arts have been branded as “electives” as if they’re disposable. The bottom line is, we want creative people in our society and creative problem solvers in the general workforce, but we don’t want to emphasize the humanities classes that are going to instill this creativity in young people.” Arts and humanities aren’t subjects that people who are “dumb” and “lazy” pursue. It’s so frustrating to see people take credit away from these subjects, as these are the subjects that make humans, well humans. It’s called the humanities for a reason. Fine arts, performing arts, literature, philosophy, history, theology, linguistics, and music, just to name a few, helps make humans more caring, empathetic, and curious about the world. Papcun ends the article with a poignant statement, “The humanities need funding and fewer deterrents. Otherwise, we’re on track to build a very bland world.” I agree with Papcun wholeheartedly.
On the blog Philosophy Talk, author Antonia Peacocke writes in What Would We Lose If We Had No Art?, “The greatest art doesn’t only bring us joy and thrills; it also expands our understanding of one another, allowing for greater empathy and kindness. Art can model those attitudes we need to adopt in order to be good to one another, and it can display the horrors of the actual world (as opposed to the supernatural horrors of counterfactual worlds)” STEM might teach us to be problem solvers, to think critically and to get all the gears in our heading moving, but art and humanities teach us to be good human beings. It teaches us to have empathy, to have sympathy, to care about topics that might not even affect us, and to question injustices. There is a reason why learning history is so important. Why books are life-changing. Peacocke continues saying, “Artworks aren’t just there to meet the needs we already have, or to provide instances of the things we already love. Artworks can teach us how to value things we don’t already know how to value. They show us how to love new things, how to want new things, and even how to need new things”.
On the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Liberal Arts & Sciences website, they argue that “The reality, though, is that rapid changes and development in our world only make the constant aspects of human nature more crucial to explore and celebrate. A deep understanding of humanity gained by studying the humanities helps us not only navigate but also thrive through these changes. The humanities are vital to preserving the core of what makes us human”.
Marvin Krislov writes in Why The Humanities Matter More Than Ever – Even When You Keep Hearing Otherwise for Forbes, “The arts and humanities are important not only for our communities but for our students. They make us all better people, and they make our students into better adults and better professionals, better prepared for the changing careers that lie ahead of them”.
Simone Buitendijk writes in Technology alone isn’t enough – why humanity needs the arts in Medium that “I have learnt my most valuable life lessons – about the importance of self-knowledge, compassion and empathy – through exposure to the fields of arts and humanities, and all that they have to offer.” continuing later saying “We cannot truly appreciate and understand our own humanity, we cannot be a caring society and we cannot be happy as humans, if we don’t allow our hearts and minds to connect. Technology alone will not save us. We need the arts to be whole”.
The impact of arts and humanities are right before our eyes, but the question still remains: Why are we shunning the arts and humanities?
We need artists. We need writers. We need actors. We need philosophers. We need historians.
We need arts and humanities, or we will cease to exist.
Arts and humanities help society realize its faults, its flaws, its mistakes. It helps encourage creative and free thinking, and when you start taking away from the arts and humanities, you start taking away freedom. The more you start banning books, history, art, the farther away you get from democracy.
