If I were to keep track of the number of times someone has made a comment about how being in humanities is useless and contributes nothing to the world, I could probably note down every day on my calendar. The world as we know it has shifted completely to be one in which STEM has taken over the spotlight and pushed humanities behind the curtain of everyone’s attention. Though this may seem most practical, as a job in STEM normally provides someone with a much more solid income, and the future lies in the developments of many STEM fields, the humanities arguably have a much greater role to play than we think.
What is a doctor without the empathy instilled in them for bedside manner? What is an engineer without their ethics to stop them from crossing a certain boundary when it comes to innovation? What is a person of logic without feelings to let them enjoy their everyday life?
Humanities teach us empathy, ethics and more. When we omit these fields from our lives, we lose an aspect of our effectiveness as people. We are inarguably social animals, and our ability to communicate and connect to others is an essential aspect of our existence. Learning to empathize with others is super important when it comes to being a doctor or a nurse, as bedside manner has been shown to impact recovery for patients. If we look at the world from an even broader perspective, we begin to see the importance of humanities in the moral sense. Literature and philosophy teach us about the responsibilities we hold as creators. As a brief illustration, one need look no farther than the potential of Frankenstein as an essential reading for every engineer. The book serves as a cautionary tale against creating something that you are unsure of how to control just because you want to test the boundaries of nature. Humanities teaches us that moderation and consideration are essential in progress. Often, when I read news on certain experiments or developments that are going on I find myself considering the book. I’m increasingly worried that, as a species, we are jumping on the freight train of advancement without thinking twice of the consequences.
As we advance into the world of AI, where students no longer need to think analytically or even read, increasingly able to have articles and readings summarized for them, it’s important to remember that these texts are not just for the sake of passing a class or getting that GPA boosting “A” in a liberal studies requirement. Reading is an act of compassion and understanding, and analyzing works teaches us not just connectivity to others but also how to handle non-linear situations where the answer isn’t necessarily straightforward.
One of my favorite movies, Dead Poets Society, has this brilliant quote in it: “We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.”
Humanities makes us feel things beyond just that which is pragmatic. It doesn’t just have its own uses in the STEM fields but in your everyday life. Feeling something by reading philosophy and stories makes you feel more alive. As an English Literature major I have had so many occasions where my friends who are (ironically) mostly engineers grab what I am reading in the hopes of just feeling something other than the scalding proofs of a three-page math or physics problem. I think there is this value to humanities that we ignore — that not everything we do has to have material benefit. Not every class we take has to contribute to our major or our future job. Studying, and even just enjoying, the humanities contributes so much to our lives that I think it is a huge shame that people are setting them aside based on their “usefulness.”
Despite the fact that our future lies in rockets and medical developments, is that all we should place value in? I think it is so important to leave a place in our lives for the cultivation of the soul through stories and cultures and languages. There is such a beautiful world that is left behind when we ignore the arts and what they can offer us.
Lusine Boyadzhyan is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at [email protected].