Value of the Arts and Humanities

Week 6: The Value of the Arts and Humanities Past modules have asked you to consider the purpose of college as well as the Core Averitt Center for the Arts, Statesboro, Georgia Curriculum. This week's module will focus on the contributions of the Arts and Humanities. Humanities in Crisis? In recent years, a number of books and essays have sounded alarms about a potential "crisis" in the Arts and Humanities. In some ways, the crisis is a matter of statistics. There have been a declining number of majors in traditional academic fields like History and English. These declining numbers do not appear to be caused by a lack of interest in these subjects, but are more likely the result of economic pressures. Students worry that majors in the Arts and Humanities will not provide necessary employment skills or that traditional academic subjects in the liberal arts are obsolete in the twenty-first century. The modules for this week and next week will examine these concerns by considering what role the Arts and Humanities might play in the twenty-first century. In particular, we will consider the role of critical thinking in contemporary politics and science. Not for Profit? In her book Not for Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities, the philosopher Martha Nussbaum suggests any potential crisis in the humanities poses problems for democracy. She argues that democracy flourishes when people develop skills in critical thinking and argumentation as well as knowledge of world history, culture, and religions. Nussbaum thinks this is all the more important in an increasingly globalizing and interconnected world that will reward imaginative and innovative thinking rather than training in practical skills. One of the assignments for this module is to listen to an interview with Nussbaum about her book. As you listen to Nussbaum, think about whether you agree with her claim that democracy needs critical thinking. Do democratic institutions require the Arts and Humanities? Placebo Technoradicalism? In response to the assertion that the Arts and Humanities are obsolete, Benjamin Bratton questions the value of the uncritical embrace of technological innovation. He is especially suspicious of the idea that technology alone can address the kinds of social problems that come from the difficult human work of trying to live together. As Bratton puts it in a TED talk on TED talks (TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design), he suggests that uncritical confidence in technological innovation works as a "placebo technoradicalism" that inculcates habits of passivity that prevent meaningful structural change. As he explains: If we really want transformation, we have to slog through the hard stuff (history, economics, philosophy, art, ambiguities, contradictions). Bracketing it off to the side to focus just on technology, or just on innovation, actually prevents transformation. Instead of dumbing-down the future, we need to raise the level of general understanding to the level of complexity of the systems in which we are embedded and which are embedded in us. This is not about "personal stories of inspiration," it's about the difficult and uncertain work of demystification and reconceptualization: the hard stuff that really changes how we think. Bratton argues that critical thinking is acutely necessary to sort the the explosion of new and old ideas in the twenty-first century. He suggests that the Arts and Humanities are more necessary than ever in a world where intelligent human thinking is under threat. As you watch Bratton's presentation, think about whether you share his concerns about dumbing-down the future. Task List Please complete the following tasks in this module: 1. Listen: Philosophy Bites, Interview with Martha Nussbaum, "The Value of the Humanities" (14 minutes) 2. Watch: Benjamin Bratton, "What's Wrong with Ted Talks" (12 minutes) 3. Complete the Value of the Arts and Humanities Quiz.