My TED Talk: The Humanities Are an Essential Part of Our Humanity
The following essay is one I wrote in 2017; after making a few edits, I share it now.
I have an older brother, Noah, who is a remarkable person and one of my closest friends. Since both of us are in college, we’re often asked what we study. People tend to look to Noah first — at six feet, two inches tall, he attracts attention — and he replies that he’s majoring in mechanical engineering with the hope of becoming an entrepreneur-inventor. (By the way, he has succeeded, and I am very proud.) Their interest piqued, our interlocutors ask him more questions and wish him the best in his endeavors.
Then it’s my turn. I explain that I’m not sure, that I’m still deciding, but I know I want to minor in French. As for a major, possibly English? But I like history and philosophy too — thus the indecision. At this point, people usually give me a noncommittal and unenthusiastic response, as if they don’t know what to say, or even ask me directly, “What are you going to do with that?” Their tone implies that they’re dubious about my future job prospects.
My intention in telling this story is not to criticize these people, nor is it to present myself as resentful of their approbation of my brother, since neither is true. My intention is, rather, to illustrate how our society generally has a bias against the humanities that prevents them from being considered a “successful” path to pursue. STEM fields are placed on a pedestal as the arena for visionary, driven people who are high achievers and forward-thinking. On the other hand, the humanities are seen as almost the opposite — aren’t they just the study of what has already been done? Why should we read about the thoughts and accomplishments of dead people when our focus should be on the future? As someone who values the humanities for the contributions they continue to make to the intellectual sphere of our existence, I see the great loss that comes from this unchallenged way of thinking.
Oddly enough, there is a disconnect between people’s opinion of the humanities, in terms of professional opportunities, and their delight in them. Though our most enjoyable activities almost always center around the humanities — in the form of music, film, art, and literature — our society does not proportionately value the careers that enable such creativity to be encouraged, developed, and expressed. Why is this the case? In my personal experience, the humanities aren’t given their due credit because people simply aren’t trained to recognize their pervasive, animating place in society or appreciate the professions associated with them. For example, in public school I was taught to value and aspire to jobs in the sciences, whereas the opportunities offered by and in the humanities weren’t discussed. Although many students, like myself, enjoy language, literature, and the history of human dreams and achievements, they aren’t encouraged to pursue their interests because the arts are simply not viewed as smart career material. The reality, however, is that the humanities do provide viable careers since the skills they develop — critical thinking, effective communication, and even empathy — underlie the foundation and functioning of civilization.
Yet the contribution of the humanities goes beyond mere functioning: they also make us more capable and fulfilled human beings. Like the sciences, the humanities improve our minds, but they also nurture our hearts and consciousness. By “consciousness,” I refer to our capacity for developing a profound understanding of and between individuals, to our ability to listen, reflect, reason, and articulate. By calling upon us to consider our ethical and historical positions, the humanities cultivate personal and intellectual growth: we are pushed to question the world around us and the beliefs we’ve taken for granted, to envision the kind of individual we would like to be and the kind of society we would like to build. By exploring the diversity of the human experience and tapping into the oneness of the human soul, we become connected more deeply to ourselves and to our local and global communities. That is the value of analyzing the history of mankind, discussing the ideas brought forth by great minds, and learning the perspectives of people whose time period, ethnicity, culture, class, and gender differ from our own. How can we improve ourselves and advance as a civilization, how can we create an enlightened and flourishing society, if we don’t learn from the past and from each other? We need the humanities because they are the expression and the study of what makes us human, intellectually and morally. For mankind to progress and prosper, we must pursue equally the sciences and the humanities. Both represent and result from human capacity and curiosity, and together, they manifest the greatness of which we are capable.
As a result, I stand firm in my desire to pursue an education and career in the humanities and thereby contribute to a realm of evolving discussion and intellectual growth. Since the humanities are indispensable for the insights they provide and the lessons they teach, my goal is to become an author who is able to share and inspire in others my appreciation for what it means to be human.
