The humanities are dying, and the impact of their decline will be felt well beyond those with a ion for humanities education.
The decline of the humanities is far from an issue unique to Queen’s. Universities around the world are no longer seen as institutions where learning is done for learning’s sake; rather, they’ve become training centres for the professional world. Degrees are seen as little more than a necessary line on a resume, and majors are selected based on their “return on investment.”
This utilitarian approach to higher education means more students are enrolling in programs and majors that are perceived as attractive to employers or graduate programs. Enrolment in programs such as engineering and commerce have skyrocketed, while the humanities are seen as luxuries.
A humanities education is ultimately perceived as suboptimal and unproductive—or in other words, a waste of time and money.
As the longstanding neglect and eventual shuttering of the Bachelor of Fine Arts program showed, the decline of the humanities and related programs isn’t new at Queens’s. However, Faculty of Arts and Science Dean Barbara Crow’s austerity measures will undoubtedly supercharge the humanities’ demise.
The prohibition on classes of less than ten students threatens the very existence of some smaller programs such as classics and religious studies, and greatly limits course offerings in other disciplines such as history and philosophy.
Coupled with the ongoing threat against the humanities, these changes could potentially go unnoticed at a school like Queen’s, which is dominated by more “practical” programs like commerce and engineering. The path to a high-paying career may be more obvious with these degrees (not to mention the potential to produce more generous donors), but the humanities are about far more than money.
Instead, the value of the humanities is in the profound impact they have on our ability to understand our world and our place in it.
There are countless ways a humanities education equips students for success in employment in Canada’s workforce beyond academia. The critical thinking skills, communication skills, and unique perspectives afforded by a humanities education are unmatched elsewhere in academia.
However, even if practical benefits are ignored, the humanities remain crucial to Canadian and global life.
In a society that prioritizes hyper-productivity and economic prosperity over almost all else, it’s easy to lose sight of the value of intangible human experiences. However, these experiences—which are exemplified in humanities disciplines—represent some of the most central aspects of human existence.
Consider the things you do in your spare time, whether that be curling up with a captivating new novel, tuning into a new film, or listening to a new album from your favourite artist. These experiences are unproductive—they don’t generate monetary value for the reader, viewer, or listener, yet we love them. These experiences are profoundly human and are impossible without an understanding and appreciation of the humanities.
Perhaps the most human experiences are those we spend with others. We crave social interaction and spending time with friends, family, or a significant is are one of the most meaningful experiences one can have. These relationships, how we act in them, and the indescribable feelings that underpin them are best understood through the lens of the humanities.
Philosophy has contemplated love since the times of Plato and Confucius (Kǒngzǐ), while literature and theatre reflect our experiences, allowing us to better understand the complex emotions present in interpersonal relationships.
On a societal level, the humanities are indispensable to understanding why our society is ordered the way it is. Classics and religious studies—possibly the two programs under the most significant threat—are critical to understanding our current social landscape. No social movement comes close to the impact religion has had on society, culture, and morality.
Furthermore, all Western countries trace their roots to the cultures and ideas studied in Classics. Abandoning these disciplines is abandoning a will to understand why the world is the way it is.
Though the humanities are often concerned with intangibles and abstract ideals, the instrumental benefits of the humanities can’t be overstated.
The humanities are crucial to maintaining a robust, engaged, well-functioning democracy. Courses in history and philosophy are critical for understanding manifestations of power and how it can be held able.
A population without an understanding of these power relationships can easily be taken advantage of, as has been seen throughout the world with despotic leaders rising to power on the back of misinformation and fearmongering.
Finally, the humanities are indispensable in understanding and responding to hate. When looking at the spread of racism, homophobia, and xenophobia—both historically and contemporarily—the public frequently asks how this is possible, and the answers always rotate around a lack of critical thinking, a failure to comprehend complex issues, a disregard for history, and a self-centred view of society.
The value of the humanities isn’t always obvious. In contrast to many other academic disciplines, the humanities are often seen as outdated, traditional, or frozen areas of scholarship. Innovations in the humanities are rarely given much attention and are perceived to be less profitable than those in STEM fields. This disparity in perceived value is reflected in funding—the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada’s budget is less than half that of its than its STEM counterparts.
Though I’m obviously ionate about the humanities, I can understand why many view them as tired areas of study which need to be retired. Students (or their parents) pay thousands of dollars in tuition and rent, and the government spends billions subsidizing higher education. It’s understandable that interested parties want a return on their investment.
However, the reason the humanities are now so undervalued is the very reason we must work hard to preserve them. In a world that is hyper-focused on wealth accumulation and economic prosperity, we need the humanities more than ever. We need the humanities to remind us that there is more to life than money. We need the humanities to remind us we are human.
Though a Canada without the humanities may be well be more efficient, it will be a country lacking art, culture, love, and beauty. It will be a vulnerable Canada that doesn’t understand where it came from, and therefore can’t understand where it is going.
A Canada without the humanities will be a Canada without a soul.
Aidan Carli is a ’23 Queen’s alumnus. He majored in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics and is in his first year of law school at the University of Toronto.
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