Why Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences?
Why Humanities?
In his recent book, Education's End: Why Our Colleges and Universities Have Given Up on the Meaning of Life, Yale professor Anthony Kronman argues that the humanities have abandoned their traditional function. For Kronman this function involves the systematic study of life’s meaning and helping students to discover those endeavors that will give significance to their own lives. Here, three CHASS faculty members present their own views of the humanities' task. In so doing, they provide a significant counterpoint to Kronman's and indicating the importance of the humanities in examining and grounding the normative framework within which our endeavors, including our scientific endeavor's have their point.
- Why We Need the Humanities - Traise Yamamoto
- Why the Humanities Matter to Me - Jonathan L. Walton
- Why We Need the Humanities - Perry Link
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Why Arts?
Art, like science, is a form of exploration and discovery. It requires labs and studios, space for creating and room for adding to our human capacities to liten, see and think. Here three CHASS faculty members provide further reflections on the importance of the arts in human life and knowledge.
- Why the Arts - Erith Jaffe-Berg
- Why We Need Arts - Andrew Winer
- Why the Arts - Robin Russin
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Why Social Sciences?
What is the value of social science in today's world? Here, four CHASS faculty members from anthropology, economics, political science and psychology present their views on how their disciplines contribute to understanding society and the world we live in today. They also discuss the ways in which their discipline can help solve some of the biggest challenges facing the world today.
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