Will Poetry Save Us?

[Mark1031]

There was an interesting article in the NY Times on the decline of humanities teaching in US universities. here.

Professors have been complaining about this for as long as I can remember. Essentially, the elimination of tenured jobs in teaching the humanities, replaced by untenured adjuncts and teaching assistants. Is it long before the teaching of Kant is outsourced to a computer screen in Mumbai or eliminated entirely?

It really gets at how we value the humanities, a liberal university education, vs the acquisition of skills for work. So the question “will poetry save us?” is really do you value the humanities?

I have had a number of arguments where I have denigrated the scholarship in some of the humanities such as philosophy, theology, but I think that I must answer yes poetry will save us. The ideas that arise from science and engineering can produce great things that eliminate suffering but they also can produce great harm.

Is it not really the ideas of how we view ourselves and our relations to each other and the world around us that are more important to our success as a species. In the end a poem is perhaps of more significance than a new antibiotic.

 

[Mowque]

There was an interesting article in the NY Times on the decline of humanities teaching in US universities. here.
.

Ok, another thread saying we aren't teaching math or science...what ARE we teaching?!

 

[Bigfoot3814]

In the end a poem is perhaps of more significance than a new antibiotic.

I'm sorry but to me that idea is bonkers. Poetry and other artistic stuff is nice and all but people need a means to live and make a living, especially in this rough economy.

 

[Rashiminos]

Not exactly the best means of appealing to modern generations. Up-to-date literary styles would be more appropriate.

Still, people wandering about managing their means with no end in sight doesn't always lead to the desirable results.

 

[luiz]

Nothing against the humanities, but the educational trend americans should worry about is too many lawyers and too little engineers.

 

[Fifty]

Ayn Rand will save us!!!!!

 

[bhsup]

Beans beans, the magical fruit. The more you eat, the more you toot.

I vote no.

 

[El_Machinae]

Well, the creation of metaphors is one way of increasing intelligence ...

But I've found that having enough people who understand the humanities is important for the society to mature. I don't know if we specifically need Shakespeare, but we need people to maintain a brainbank of the humanities

 

[Fifty]

Humanities professors need to be much harsher graders IMO.

One of the things that gives English lit a bad name is that your average intelligent math major can probably go into a 400-level english class without having taken the pre-requisites and get at least a B. Try throwing an average intelligent english major into a 400-level math class, though...

 

[Dachs]

I reply that if any sapient artificial intelligence ever arises, and is allowed to peruse human history, it had better not be given control of nuclear weapons because it will kill us all out of spite and a desire to see such a ******edly destructive and petty species wiped from the universe.

History will damn us, maybe poetry will do us some good.

 

[Abaddon]

I am thinking NO.

 

[mangxema]

It's nice for well-roundedness but that's about it.

 

[Shekwan]

I'm pretty sure more people writing poetry would lead to more people committing suicide.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

No .

 

[Orange Seeds]

To me it came down to what i valued in life, life itself or productivity. While the vast array of persons value economics and sense that the affluence of a civilization is its greatest attribute, I chose to abstain from such axioms and pursue my own eudaemonia. Thus I am a humanities student. I work very hard at what i do, though i know that my successes will be immeasurable. To be honest i would not find any worth in my life had i decided to be an engineer, or a geologist(my father always wanted me to be one.)

Perhaps the ironical thing is that I deride science and business students for their vanity, while they do the same to me.

The question would be: save us from what? Our own worthlessness? Perhaps.

 

[MagisterCultuum]

Modern literature, especially modern poetry, sucks. We should pay more attention to the Classics though (by which I mean Greek/Latin literature, not stuff from a century or 2 ago).



Tenure in general is stupid.


I agree with luiz that too many lawyers and too few engineers is a much bigger problem.

We do need more study of history too, and probably a little less psychology and sociology.

Oh, and less business/management, as that is largely just about who you know and the important stuff there is covered in certain fields of engineering (e.g., ISYE)

 

[Dachs]

We do need more study of history too, and probably a little less psychology and sociology.

History is in many respects psychology and sociology... But yeah, I know what you mean, and I agree.

 

[potatokiosk]

Yes, I think liberal arts are important. I don't see a point in having practical sciences to keep us alive if we don't also have creative pursuits to live for. We need stuff like sociology and psychology if we want to understand how we can best use science to benefit people.

 

[Bill3000]

Birdjaguar will save me.

We do need more study of history too, and probably a little less psychology and sociology.

Psychology and sociology (outside of philosophy, of course) are probably the most academically rigorous humanities disciplines there are.

 

[El_Machinae]

Humanities professors need to be much harsher graders IMO.

One of the things that gives English lit a bad name is that your average intelligent math major can probably go into a 400-level english class without having taken the pre-requisites and get at least a B. Try throwing an average intelligent english major into a 400-level math class, though...

Good point. I wonder why that is? Is it because a more specialised knowledge is required in a math class? Is it because math is so specific?

You'd see the same in chemistry, I'm sure.

Psychology and sociology are probably the most academically rigorous humanities disciplines there are.

And if we do the psychology before we do the history, then we can use history as case studies to test theories!

I'm gonna clone me a Neanderthal soon