Re: state of the humanities...

There was once a great empire whose bureaucrats and civil servants were
selected because of their keen knowledge of the classics and who were
"wholly engaged in governance, humanistic pursuits, and moral questions" (as
Goldman and Simon put it). That once great empire is still recovering from
the effects...

2009/2/26 Claude Pavur <pavurcn <at> slu.edu>

> Something practical from the humanities...hmmm...what about the USA?  Would
> that count as a desirable practical outcome?  What about the development of
> citizens who have vision and understanding, formation as well as
> information?  Without the classical texts or humanistic intellectual
> traditions,  the founders of the country would not have gotten very far in
> creating, nor will we in continuing (much less improving) the American
> project.  But humanities teachers have to have a clear and ever-present
> sense of the relevance of dealing with the larger life-questions, and they
> have to teach in a manner that convinces the students that this side of
> education is even more essential for the country's life (and by hopeful
> extension the world's improvement) than science is for defense projects.
> Humanities professionals / programs / procedures can sometimes trivialize
> and downgrade the enterprise without realizing the destruction entailed
> therein.  It is fashionable to smile patronizingly at the naive idealism of
> the Renaissance humanists and say they promised more than they ever came
> close to giving, but I sometimes wish we had half of the seriousness of
> purpose and devout conviction that they did.  It is time for a yet more
> enlightened humanism.  Classical leadership, anyone?
>
> Claude Pavur
> Saint Louis Univerisity
> On Wed, Feb 25, 2009 at 3:49 PM, Daniel Tompkins <pericles <at> temple.edu
> >wrote:
>
> > I've been rushed and may have missed reference to the NYT article, "In
> > tough times, the humanities must prove their worth":
> >
> > http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/25/books/25human.html?_r=1
> >
> > The article refers to a "report" from the Association of American
> Colleges
> > and Universities 'arguing the humanities should abandon the “old Ivory
> Tower
> > view of liberal education” and instead emphasize its practical and
> economic
> > value.'
> >
> > <snip>
>
> >
> > Dan
>