Does Harvard Hate Humanities?

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TWS:

 

No, but it doesnt understand them.

PETER BERKOWITZ

Jul 8, 2013

 

Study of the humanities has never been more important to the welfare of the nation. Information whizzes by at breakneck speed. The contest between conservative and progressive visions of governments scope and aim in a free society implicates rival understandings of human nature. The ways of life of people in far-off lands have direct impact on our prosperity and security.

 

Amidst the flux and uncertainty, the humanities​​literature, history, religion, philosophy, and the fine arts​​teach us to slow down, savor, and ponder; they illuminate the intricacies of human nature, the age-old patterns into which behavior falls, along with the infinite nuances of personality; and they reveal the cultural roots of our civilization, the humanity of other civilizations, and the inhumanity to which all civilizations, to one degree or another, are prone. The humanities uncover, preserve, and transmit the treasures of the past; provide a refined language and enduring standards for describing and evaluating the present; and nourish our imagination of the futures possibilities. The humanities teach us who we are and help us to determine the kind of human beings we wish to become. They anchor and enliven our freedom.

 

Therefore, Harvard University is to be commended for seeking with a new report to address the troubled state of the humanities. The report, The Teaching of the Arts and Humanities at Harvard College: Mapping the Future, was composed by a committee of Harvard professors co-chaired by professor of English Homi Bhabha, who is also director of the Mahindra Humanities Center at Harvard, chair of philosophy Sean Kelly, and professor of English James Simpson. With members drawn from a variety of departments, the committee sought to articulate the possibilities and promise of the Humanities at the undergraduate level in Harvard College.

 

 

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