News articles and commentary on the place of the humanities in the modern world.
What’s Wrong with the Humanities? (Bruce Cole, Public Discourse)
Words of warning from the former chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The humanities are declining because too many humanities scholars are alienating students and the public with their opacity, triviality, and irrelevance.
Liberal arts and success in life (U.S. News)
Richard Detweiler's study suggests that a liberal arts education is associated with greater odds for students to become leaders, be seen as ethical, appreciate arts and culture and lead a more fulfilling and happy life.
Henry VIII’s football malady
Henry VIII may have been knocked in the head, according to an expert in cognitive neurology.
Digital companies require liberal arts majors (Harvard Business Review)
What can’t be replaced in any organization imaginable in the future is precisely what seems overlooked today: liberal arts skills, such as creativity, empathy, listening, and vision. These skills, not digital or technological ones, will hold the [...]
Forgetting Cervantes in Spain (El Pais)
“All the recent Spanish governments have been contemptuous of culture, but the current one is downright aggressive towards it” - Arturo Pérez Reverte
Prisoners, liberal arts, and freedom (France 24)
What happens when convicted murderers are taught liberal arts? According to hundreds of US felons who have gained degrees in philosophy, literature and history, higher education is transformative for both the student and society.
Medicine, neurology, and Sherlock (BBC)
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the doctor from Edinburgh, teaches new doctors about the mind.
Philosophy of the Future
Computer scientists advocate a liberal education for the future, flexing their epistemological, ontological and ethical muscles on concepts of artificial intelligence.
Medicine finds philosophy good therapy (David Silbersweig, Washington Post)
A call for integrative therapy, including the liberal arts
Do the humanities help us understand the meaning of the moment? (Robert Newman, Raleigh News and Observer)
Humanities skills offer a multifaceted and adaptable toolbox for navigating career shifts and changing workforce demands.