Why Study the Humanities? Uncovering their Pointlessness: An Article

Why even study the Humanities in a world of STEM? What worth do they serve in this globe of smart scientists and math magicians? When there's a universal buzz about settling on Mars, when humanity is excited about AI's revolutionary potential, spending time reading and sympathising with the souls lost in the Second World War seems old-fashioned, and unsmart, right? Or perhaps, finding yourself lost in the doctrines of Aristotle, Plato's Cave Allegory, Siegfried Sassoon's "The Hero", and case studies on tribal communities, seems pointless, doesn't it? Oh, yes! So here I am to uncover the humanities' pointlessness.

Let's picture our world, not as we know it but like a building (I know metaphors are useless and so is literature). A building made of bricks. Let's say, for the sake of my metaphor, the bricks represent the tangible aspects of modern society. All scientific and technological progress - whether it be the marvels of engineering that have helped us build our nests, soaring skyscrapers, bulky bridges, or maybe the wonders of medicine that have helped us battle epidemics, or maybe AI chatbots and humanoid robots that have helped us sustain productivity while easing our shoulders from the burden of hard work - stand tall and firm, visible to our eyes. But what about the motives behind this development? What about each human's proclivity, an idea of a better world take substantial form through technological progress? Mustn't this also occupy a prominently visible position in our metaphorical building? No. Why not? This is because of a fundamental difference between outer reality and inner reality. The ultimate distinction between the sciences and the arts, what separates concrete thinking from abstract thinking. Reasoning versus expression. Logos versus mythos. It is the internal reality that makes each one of us, essentially, a human. Our inherent penchant to serve others; see a better world; establish strong unfailing relations; use verbal language to communicate, non-verbal language to let others fathom our feelings. All of these can't be perceived by a mortal's eyes, at least not mine, yet they all drive us to build the world around; make use of intangible phenomena to achieve tangible results. They, rightly, represent the building's foundation, society's bedrock (geography again?). So, their worth lies underground though indispensable for the building's balance but still not visible. Rather, not worthy enough to be visible. The progress in the humanities is difficult to statistically evaluate and so this is equivalent to NO progress. For a tall and steady building, the foundation needs to be strong too. So, all your humanities get to be a part of the hidden foundation. Hidden in sight and worth.

For all those who say "The world's fuel comprises the arts and the social sciences and therefore, you can't run without them,", my answer to them is, no. I mean, doesn't the world only run on numbers? Machines? The artists aren't celebrated the way the scientists are, so it's clear they aren't worth the recognition (tell me, the last time you cheered for an artist?). The poets and writers out there aren't even intelligent enough to do calculations! Not that they really can't but because they refrain from doing so, finding beauty in abstract ideas that shape the world and using silly metaphors to describe complex ideas that can't be measured and quantified. The singers, the dancers, the actors out there, in my opinion, are disconnected from reality. All they do, is entertain. They necessarily don't inspire change through their acts. Oh, and don't get me started on the philosophers! All they do is baffle people with their theories. Who cares about existentialist thinking? All those philanthropists, reformers, and teachers out there, what do they even do? On the pretext of serving humankind, they forget serving themselves. Don't most of them earn meagre? Doesn't exceptional work quality ensure better pay? The world doesn't think so. At least many of those who hold a "B.Sc" in their degree. Can somebody raise flags of social progress by ensuring that morals and ethics stay alive? Can anybody contribute to the world by taking humanity closer to its truest nature? No! Isn't this the waste that the humanists surrender their lives to? Or is this my misconception?

And yours too?

Gaurav Chandra Tuli