Why the Sciences and Liberal Arts Belong Together

Many of the reviewers of The Philosophical Breakfast Club have remarked upon one of the points I make in the book, that science and the rest of culture should be knitted back together, more as they were in the 19th century. In this week’s Chronicle of Higher Education there is a very interesting article that addresses this issue, arguing that liberal arts and science belong together as part of a well-rounded college education, which in this day and age can be very important in determining the future career of many individuals.

In recent times, more emphasis has been placed on young people to achieve the best education from the most prestigious schools or colleges in the country. As soon as they hit a certain age, the journey into looking for their next progression route begins, and for many, graduate schools could be on their list, especially if they want to aim higher. But this can be expensive, and finding a way to fund their education could be a make or break decision on whether they go or not. Luckily there are so many avenues that people can take, such as crowdfunding, which has become increasingly popular over the years. You can find fundraising ideas from places like – https://www.gofundme.com/c/blog/pay-graduate-school, for more information. And in some cases, most courses or degrees work better together, which could potentially work out to be more expensive, so it is important that you do your research beforehand. One thing is for certain though, as articles suggest, is that liberal arts and science working cohesively could provide you with a better college education. To understand the standpoint of students in high schools, a survey can be created and published online. Student satisfaction polls are one of the major survey categories, and survey formats like those available at https://www.qualtrics.com/blog/create-online-survey/ might come in handy for those who are researching the same.

The authors note “Science matters at a liberal-arts university because the problems facing our global community will not be solved by scientists alone.” In making this point, they agree with my claim that there needs to be better communication of scientific discovery to the general public.

Discussing a symposium on the issue held at Boston College’s Institute for the Liberal Arts, the authors tell us that “A common theme throughout the symposium was the need for more scientists to better communicate the importance of ‘big science’ and the implications of its findings to the public….In our environmentally and economically challenged, highly technological world, it is crucial that we improve our ability to understand and critically evaluate scientific evidence and arguments. One way to do so is through partnerships between faculty in the natural sciences and faculty from disciplines like journalism, economics, sociology, political science and philosophy. Together they can develop ways to communicate knowledge about technology and the sciences in an accessible and compelling manner, and to explain the broader relevance of scientific discovery to society.”

The piece can be read here.