By Emma Anderson
It is a truth universally acknowledged that whilst "education is an admirable thing [...] it is well to remember that from time to time nothing that is worth knowing can be taught” (Oscar Wilde). As such one could claim that any education is frivolous and a pure display of intellectual snobbery, an opinion that to many may seem baseless but in the eyes of the uppity rings true for education that strays from the canonical STEMs. As a result the fate of the humanities is in peril as our government (and partly the general population) seeks to cannibalise its own cultural foundations in favour of STEM. But why is this so? Is it that we are all so vapid that appearing intellectually superior numbs us to our own self-loathing, or is it that we are all a product of a desperate obsession with money that we cannot bear to study a subject that might only fill our coffers with flies and lint? Though some of this could be true, it is more convincing that perhaps this is all a matter of simple misconstrued prejudice that has accumulated (with compound interest) to plague us all with intellectualism.
The term ‘Humanities’ derives from the Latin Renaissance Expression Studia Humanitatis, meaning the Study of Culture. Although this discipline has developed over the past millennia it is not to say that the learning it preaches is so far gone from its classical roots; in fact it can certainly be said that the goal of the Humanities is to make a more cultured person, to imbue them with empathy and a better understanding of their fellow man. Nonetheless, its ostensible lack of practicality in our hyper-modern world has left the humanities like a delicate rose in a thorn bush.
It is without a doubt that politicians favour areas of education that have a tangible economic value, for example in 2003 the then-secretary of education, Charles Clarke, humbly suggested that only subjects with a “clear usefulness” should be publicly funded and that mediaeval historians are “purely ornamental”. This laissez-faire approach to humanities is quite apparent in its recent decline in enrolment. According to an article published in the Guardian, by 2021 / 2022 only 38% of A-Level students were taking at least one humanities subject ; additionally, a Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) report claimed that only 8% of students have pursued humanities at University level in 2019 / 2020. This is also observable on a subject level with A-Level French entries dropping by 36% from 2012, German by 41%, and English Literature and History by 9%. And so a genuine concern is growing amongst academics that Studia Humanitatis will one day be Studia Humanitatis - Extincti.
Regardless, this does not answer the question so much as it reinforces it. Our arts and humanities are being butchered, an educational slaughter, but why? Often this phenomenon is attributed to the actions of our government and education system. As, for one, there is an understanding that the trebling of university tuition has had a negative impact on the humanities as students are now understandably encouraged to pursue subjects based on financial return. Plus, recent policies concerning ‘Mickey Mouse Degrees’ that lead to supposed ‘dead end jobs’ have been perceived as subtle attacks against the humanities.
Henceforth it is no surprise that the common impression that it is easier to find a well-paying job if you take a science-related degree has resulted in even the most artistically inclined souls to graduate as a STEM major. Additionally, there is also an unfortunate belief that the humanities are useless and that they are not important in a modern society - but this is far from the truth.
For one, the transferability of the skills taught in a humanities course is, arguably, much more than that which is taught in mathematical or science-based degrees. In humanities, pupils are taught to engage their aesthetic, emotional and imaginative capabilities, as well as to be evaluative, analytical, logical and empathetic - skills which are often attractive to any employer from any sector, and vital to leadership and management positions. As such it is no surprise that CEOs of companies have often studied the humanities as it is these degrees which act as breeding grounds for silver-tongued orators who can charm their way to the top. However, on the other hand we should not disregard the fact that arts and humanities are the foundations of human culture and society - perhaps our belief that they are practically useless stems from the increasingly individualistic nature of our society, how we have become so focused on self-preservation and being personally successful that we disregard the impact that we can make by being part of a community, by contributing to literature, to art, to the happiness of others. Humanities are the enrichment of life. If we think back to lock-down, what did people do? They read, they watched TV, they wrote, they listened to music. Life, entertainment, happiness, it would not be possible if not for the humanities and the arts. Is it not a success to live with some degree of pleasure? Because how is it that we truly measure success? Is one not made happy by the simple things?
However, the truth of life is rarely pure and never simple. There is no denying that in the current economic climate it is money which makes the world go round, people have to sacrifice things in order to survive and it would be tone-deaf to tell the world that poverty is not so bad as long as you have books and flowers. There is no guarantee that simply having a degree will grant you financial success but there is truth in the thought that finding a job in STEM will increase your likelihood of earning the big-bucks salary. Yet this does not mean that the humanities are not sought-after or that they equal poor pay - in fact graduates straight out of University often start at the same salary, regardless of their degree.
Additionally, many reports on postgraduate ‘success’ have placed humanity graduates earning salaries in the middle-range as, just with any degree, financial success often lies in the hands of chance. These facts I hope may make the prospect of pursuing passion less bleak.
Nonetheless, this is not to say that people do not enjoy the STEM subjects. All that this article preaches is a greater appreciation of the humanities and that we should never regard anything with upturned noses at a preconceived odour of ‘uselessness’. In life we should try to achieve success, but success is not measured by money or fame but by what makes you happy.
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