Value of the Humanites

amtrumpet · Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 10:45 pm Post subject: Value of the Humanites

Here's an interesting little essay. Some things to think about, especially as musicians. This will keep my mind occupied for a little while.

http://fish.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/will-the-humanities-save-us/?ex=1200373200&en=ec8e5685c41da559&ei=5070&emc=eta1

richardwy · Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 11:04 pm Post subject:

Stanley Fish, Alan Bloom, I hope guys like that keep at it. I was steeped in the Great Conversation as a kid.

It's the reason I wanted to go into teaching. Had no clue it had fallen out of favor.

I'm a fierce proponent our wonderful heritage called the Great Books of the Western World.
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pelirrojo173 · Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 10:16 am Post subject:

I feel like there was a lot of unnecessarily dense and fancy writing in there, and in the comments as well

Or is that sort of part of the point he's making I wonder?

Very interesting read, in any case!

amtrumpet · Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 9:33 pm Post subject:

I haven't really had a chance to go back and ponder the essay yet (first few days back have been hectic), but I did have my first Humanities class today. It's an honors class, it's one night a week for three hours, there are five of us, and the professor is absolutely brilliant (as well as very engaging). I'm so excited about this class! We'll be reading Dante, Shakespeare, Plato, Homer, Chaucer, Ovid, Virgil, etc. Pretty much all the biggies from the classical period to the Renaissance. It doesn't get any better than this! I'll be working harder than I usually would for a gen ed, but this is worth it.

Billy B · Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 6:54 am Post subject:

Studies in the humanities makes one more human. The inverse applies.
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pfrank · Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 7:03 am Post subject:

"Justification, after all, confers value on an activity from a perspective outside its performance. An activity that cannot be justified is an activity that refuses to regard itself as instrumental to some larger good."

What does That mean? He seems to be saying that there is no practical value to humanities which is exactly why it's valuable. He communicates like a befuddled character in a Terry Pratchett fantacy. Obviously the study of human creative forms is of great practical value. At the very least it establishes our commonality as human beings, while religions and phylosophies can set our differences in stone.

Billy B · Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 7:09 am Post subject:

Exactly. Without the human element we all become machines. More efficient, reliable, absent of creative thought or compassion.
The Terminator.
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Bill Bergren