Why Study The Humanities?

If you are currently pursuing (or have pursued at some point) a degree in the humanities, you have surely heard the moans and groans that come from people when you tell them your area of study. Physics and math acolytes claim that their majors are more practical and in greater demand than a history or an English degree—and rightfully so. However as a discipline, the humanities are by no means less admirable. The large aggregate of topics that are generally labelled as humanities encompass those studies which analyse human culture, relations, and ideas. As opposed to the physical sciences, the humanities demand an analytic, rather than empirical mindset. Everything from languages, to history, philosophy, literature, and geography are prime examples of majors within the humanities discipline, while more quantitative pursuits such as political science and economics generally belong within the realm of sociology. The study of history admittedly lacks practical application in terms of employability, but those who choose to pursue a degree in the field are just as noble as those individuals who study business, physics, or math.

As a constituent member of the human race, one has a responsibility, perhaps even an obligation, to educate themselves about those people, societies, centuries, empires, and technologies to which they owe their mere existence. Being a citizen of a particular country entails an intrinsic duty to understand the history and heritage of that country’s past. As a Canadian, there is nothing more cringe-worthy than meeting someone who cannot identify all of our nation’s constituent provinces and territories, or worse—is even ignorant of its capital city. Likewise, if you are a mechanic or an operator of some type of machinery, it is a fundamental requirement of your job to understand the function of the tool you are using; not only how it works, but how and when it was produced. An auto mechanic who does not know the make and model of a particular car, or cannot display a basic understanding of the history of his profession is not a very good mechanic.

The sheer virtue of being human entails a duty to understand the basic principle of human history and the human condition. One of the most appropriate quotes to justify this position comes from the Spanish philosopher George Santayana:

“Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it.”

A quick glimpse to the recent follies and atrocities of human history would reveal that they were committed in ignorance of past events. The recent financial meltdown of 2008, brought about by the Subprime Mortgage crisis of 2007, was made possible only by much of the same negligence that produced the 1929 market crash. If the Federal Reserve and the banks had heeded a more stringent regard to the causes of the Great Depression, perhaps the economy would not currently be in such a deplorable state. Of course this is but one example. It wouldn’t be difficult to identify any other number of global misfortunes that are the direct or indirect result of historical ignorance. A fundamental grasp on the theories in history and philosophy are necessary to avoid the mistakes that were made in the past. In this respect, one may argue that the humanities are of a much greater practical use than any kind of science or mathematics.

This is not to undermine however, the value of empirical disciplines like math, physics, or chemistry. The knowledge provided by the scientific method is acquired through controlled experiments in a laboratory setting. Therefore, scientific facts are in regard to the nature of things as they are, while the facts of the humanities or sociology deal with things as they have been, or how they might be. The speculative mindset necessary to study philosophy or literature can greatly benefit the technical ability required to make scientific and mathematical observations as well.  In order to acquire a broader and more rational view of existence, one must have an understanding of both the physical sciences and the humanities. In the afterword of Jared Diamond’s Pulitzer Prize winning book Guns, Germs, and Steel, he argues the advantages of historical studies over scientific studies. “Laboratory experimentation can obviously play little or no role in many of the historical sciences. One cannot interpret galaxy formation, start and stop hurricanes and ice ages, experimentally exterminate grizzly bears in a few natural parks, or rerun the course of dinosaur evolution. Instead, one must gain knowledge in these historical sciences by other means, such as observation, comparison, and so-called natural experiments.” Diamond argues that to be sufficiently versed in the study of reality, one must be equally knowledgeable about things as they are and how they might be in the future according to how they have been in the past. 

It is only by ignorance of history that one could endorse something as absurd as fascism or communism. It is only by an ignorance of philosophy that one could believe the claim in the existence of mystical ghosts and deities of which there is no proof. It is only a profane ignorance of the human condition that produces a Stalin, a Pol Pot, a Hitler, or a Caligula. Studying the humanities provides insight into the way humans act and relate to one another. Such insight is essential when one is confronted with extreme ignorance, racism, mysticism, prejudice, bigotry, or any of the other intellectual malignancies that infest our culture today. Consider the preceding the next time some insolent twat claims that his engineering degree is more prestigious than your degree in the humanities.