One afternoon, a friend of mine asked, rather cynically, “Why should we care about the humanities?” Aren’t we “wasting” our dear time painting pictures, writing novels, and endlessly debating philosophical issues? Surely liberal arts professors are paid less because their work is less valuable, right? A new invention, a scientific breakthrough, an equation; don’t those “last longer” or have a “bigger impact” than a metaphysical theory or a fiction book?
Of course not; no group of study, science or non-science, is inferior to another.
"Just know the Earth is just a rock without the voices of art.”
What is humanity without considering the humans? In the powerful film Dead Poets Society, John Keating, a charismatic and passionate English teacher declares, “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, necessary to sustain life, but poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for."
Benjamin Franklin, our nation's renaissance man, is a wonderful example of a harmony between the humanities and the hard sciences. He was scientist, diplomat, printer, essayist, revolutionary, inventor, scientist. He founded UPenn. He turned electricity "from a simple curiosity into a science.” He performed science just out of pure curiosity. He wanted to cultivate students who would be "serviceable to their country" and who would equipped not only with hard knowledge, but with the character to better their communities and their new country. This should inspire us and reignite a holistic understanding and passion for intellectualism.
Maybe that's what it means to be human.
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