The Decline of Humanities

Courtesy of Katelyn Cui‘24

By JINMIN LEE ‘26

Three college freshmen meet together for the first time in a Dunkin Donuts nearby. 

Peter: Excuse me, there are no other seats nearby. May I sit next to you?

Mark: Absolutely.

Peter: Thank you. What’s your name?

Mark: Nice to meet you, I’m Mark.

Peter: Peter.

Mark: What do you want to major in?

Peter: I want to major in computer science.

Mark: That’s cool. Are you trying to be a software developer? 

Peter: Yeah, I want to work at Google or Apple or whatever new thing comes up. What about you?

Mark: I want to become an engineer. I’m taking a few physics lectures here. 

Peter: What kind of engineer do you want to be?

Mark: I’ve always been fascinated by planes. I want to work at Lockheed Martin. 

Peter: Oh, maybe we’ll both work together on something someday, me with the software, you with the engineering.

Friedrich: Sorry for intruding on your conversation, but may also sit next to you? There are no other available seats.

Peter and Mark: Sure.

Friedrich: I’m Fredrich. What are your names?

Peter: Peter.

Mark: Mark.

Friedrich: Didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but you guys were talking about what to major in, right?

Peter and Mark: Yes.

Friedrich: And both of you are looking into STEM fields?

Peter: Yes, we both want to create the next big thing. Some innovation to change the world. What do you want to major in?

Friedrich: I want to major in philosophy and history.

Peter: Really? I haven’t met anyone actually interested in philosophy. I’d love to know what draws you to the humanities.

Mark: Yeah, I think —at least for undergrads —students would find more value in STEM.

Friedrich: I’m not so sure if I agree, but I’d like to hear why.

Mark: Well … How are you planning to get a stable job with a humanities degree? From the perspective of employers, I don’t think there is a specific skill that you directly offer. Of course, thinking about life and history is really important, but, unless you want to become a professor or a politician, why would someone like to hire you?

Peter: I agree. To add on, since it is incredibly difficult to quantify how “good” you are at history, how will you prove to employers that you are better than the competition? In other words, if I were your interviewer and I asked: “What value do you offer me?” Can you provide concrete skills that would set you apart from other candidates?

Mark: Yes. For instance, Peter can say that he was the best in his class for coding and he’s able to do machine learning and make websites. For me, I can say that I can do some good physics and contribute to making the wings of a plane as efficiently as possible.

Friedrich: These are some complex questions. I do not plan to become a professor, but maybe I will become a politician one day. To answer your point about having some kind of exclusive skill that can very easily set me apart from the rest of my competition, I’m going to have to admit that, as a humanities major, it is going to be more difficult for me to find a job.

Mark: Then why would you major in philosophy and history?

Peter: Yeah, I wanted to be a fictional writer too until I realized that I wouldn’t be making as much money.

Friedrich: Well, I have a question for both of you. 

Peter and Mark: Go ahead.

Friedrich: Why did you get up in the morning today?

Peter gives a little chuckle. 

Mark (face twitching with suppressed laughter): What kind of question is that?

Friedrich: I’m serious.

Mark: To go to our required lectures? I don’t know.

Friedrich: Why do you have to go to lectures?

Peter: To get grades.

Mark: To get a job.

Friedrich: Why do you want to get a job?

Mark: Because we live in a society that will punish us with poverty if we don’t have a job.

Friedrich: Sure. However, I don’t think jobs permanently work that way. Sooner or later you will climb up the corporate ladder and will have to make decisions as a manager or something.

Mark: Yes. And?

Friedrich: I’m saying it is challenging to make any kind of decision if you spend all of your time and attention on developing one particular skill. I’m not saying there’s no value in being a technocrat like that, but I think it will only take you so far.

Peter: Why? 

Friedrich: Well, for instance, let’s say you become a great coder and then you have to lead a team. You’re the executive manager of your branch. Some of your workers begin a conflict because of a disagreement and refuse to work with each other. Without studying concepts like morality and maintaining power, how will you resolve the issue in a “just” manner? Can you define justice?

Mark: Well, I would make the logical choice of talking to each of them. Perhaps we could come to some compromise, and transfer one of them to another sector. Make the practical choice.

Friedrich: What if they refuse? Do you think it’s justified to permanently alter someone’s job and life for the sake of productivity?

Peter: I don’t know. I’ll have to think about it. 

Friedrich: Yes, I’m not saying that studying humanities will automatically solve all of your workplace issues, but it gives a deeper understanding of how humans work. Maybe reading The Prince could help you become a better CEO or reading The Nicomachean Ethics will help you understand how to help your coworkers lead more fulfilling lives. For instance, let’s say you have to decide how many days of vacation you should give to your workers. I think consulting some psychology and philosophy could definitely aid in coming to a better decision.

Peter: I’m quite convinced, could you give us another example of how studying something like, let’s say English literature, could be helpful?

Friedrich: I’ve heard this in a podcast or somewhere, I can’t remember, but learning how to write is a very powerful tool. You can be the most brilliant person and not be able to articulate your thoughts in a concise and accurate manner. What if you want to write a recommendation letter for one of your hardworking colleagues but you can’t deliver it properly? That person will probably not get promoted.

Mark: You have a point. But I still don’t think you’ve answered my question about how you’re going to get a job in the first place with a major like philosophy.

Friedrich: Again, I admit that it will be far more difficult for me to land my first job in a pool of people that I can’t directly compare myself with. My argument is that I believe humanities and STEM students have inversely proportional success rates when it comes to being workers. Humanities majors will find it challenging to find jobs at first, but their wisdom and fluency in language and social settings will set them apart when managing people. STEM majors will comparatively find their first jobs with flying colors but might struggle when they are forced out of their comfort zone of doing the one skill they’ve worked on their entire lives. I also believe it isn’t impossible for humanities people to find some way to set themselves apart from the rest of their competition. For instance, psychology majors could quantify their competence by taking a standardized test for it. 

Peter: I actually think we could be presenting a false dichotomy though. Why can’t STEM majors just read some useful philosophy and a humanities major find a way to prove their competence? 

Friedrich: I definitely agree. And we don’t have to major in one or the other either. I think it would be smart to taste the benefits of both worlds. 

Mark: Great, I agree too.

Friedrich: Oh, I forgot to make this point though. It’s about how I asked you why you woke up in the morning and got out of bed. 

Peter (smiling): Yes?

Friedrich: I think one distinct value that humanities offers is existentialism. Imagine you work on one skill for 10 years and then at the age of 26, you realize this isn’t what you want for yourself at all. Being mindful of the existential reasons why you do even the most mundane tasks allows you to live life with intentionality and purpose.

Mark: Could you recommend a book on existentialism?

Friedrich: I’d start with a podcast because I personally hate reading some of the really dense philosophy books. Maybe a podcast on Kierkegaard?

Peter: Thank you. I’ve gotta go to my class, but it was great meeting you.

Friedrich: I’ve got to go too. Nice talking to you both.

Mark: Goodbye.