A liberal arts education spans the vast expanses of human understanding, covering history, literature, foreign languages, science, mathematics, philosophy, art, and music, to name a few subjects.
Regardless of what a university-bound person plans on doing for an eventual profession-whether it be medical, legal, academic or technical in nature-that person can benefit from a broad liberal arts education.
In order to be a well-educated individual with a well-rounded and efficient intellect, it is important to learn not what to think, but how to think. Puzzling through a challenging piece of philosophy, engaging with a work of literature, analyzing scientific data and formulating hypothesis from that data-all of these are different mental activities, yet they are fundamentally the same, in that they encourage the mind to work its way through problems of understanding, and exercise the muscle of the intellect.
Another important benefit of a liberal arts education is the ability to understand the significance of things that happen in the world, in the context of many other related ideas.
A liberal arts education helps a person see the interrelatedness between different concepts across the boundaries of subjects. It reveals the connections between all fields of human knowledge. Moreover, such an education teaches a person important reasoning skills: how to learn, how to think critically. A university-educated person needs to come away from his or her studies with a broad perspective of the world in which she or he lives. A solid grounding in the liberal arts is essential for that perspective.
However, nowadays many are frightened by economic uncertainty, and many seem to have lost confidence in our ability to draw from the resources of a broadly-based liberal arts education. Instead, they hope that technical training or professional expertise alone will invigorate our culture and society. Many seem to think that by narrowing our focus to just science and engineering, we will become more competitive. This is a mistake, thinks Michael S. Roth, president of Wesleyan University, USA.
Our leaders in government, industry and academia should realize that they don't have to make a choice between the sciences and the rest of the liberal arts. Indeed, the sciences are a vital part of the liberal arts, says Michael S. Roth.
He is not alone in this view. According to Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple, the liberal arts play a big role. For example, concerning new breakthrough iPad, Jobs says: "The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and liberal arts, to be able to get the best of both".
Michael S. Roth says: “The key to our success in the future will be an integrative education that doesn't isolate the sciences from other parts of the curriculum, and that doesn't shield the so-called creative and interpretive fields from a vigorous understanding of the problems addressed by scientists.”
Already at liberal arts schools around the world there is increasing interest in the sciences from students who are also studying history, political science, literature and the arts. Programs linking the sciences, arts and humanities have been areas of intense creative work.
Government officials and academic administrators should realize that innovation in technology companies, automobile design, medicine or food production will not come only from isolated work in technical disciplines. Effective vaccine delivery programs, for example, require technical expertise, but they also require cultural understanding, economic planning and ethical reasoning, writes Michael S. Roth.
Similarly, scholars in the humanities must recognize that some of the most interesting work in history, art and philosophy now involves the active participation of scientists. The growing field of animal studies, for example, brings together interpretative and analytic skills along with contemporary scientific research.
A pragmatic, broadly based education that encourages bold inquiry and regular self-reflection recognizes the increasingly porous borders among disciplines and departments.
A liberal arts education provides a person with the tools necessary to think for oneself, and the knowledge base required to understand and appreciate the many subtle facets of the complex world around them. It promotes cultural awareness through the study of history, foreign languages, cultural and religious studies; it increases logic through examining science, philosophy and mathematics; it heightens appreciation for art and music through studies of the fine arts. It lays the groundwork for a person to realize her or his potential, and to prepare to take her or his place in a dynamic world. Above all, a liberal arts education provides one with the freedom to become the best person one can possibly be. As the Greek philosopher Epictetus said a thousand years ago, in a statement that is still relevant today: "Only the educated are free."
The material is taken from the following sources:
1. „Why liberal arts matter” by Michael S. Roth, Special to CNN
2. „The Importance of Liberal Arts in Undergraduate Education” by Andrew T. Osborne
3. “Steve Jobs Touts Liberal Arts” posted by SM Sprenger
http://humanitiesplus.byu.edu/2010/01/steve-jobs-touts-liberal-arts.html
