A disdain for the intellectuals and the arts is one of the early warning signs of fascism. We, however, do not harbour a disdain. We are simply apathetic, and I do not know what is worse.
We are in need of liberal arts education -- historical thinking, ethics, economic and political literacy, along with scientific literacy are a prerequisite for a good society and precondition for an authentic democracy.
One has to read Yuval Harari’s books to understand the magnanimity, or simply to understand, his central thesis that “inter-subjective entities” are a massive part of our lives.
It is the humanities that deal with these entities. Hence cracking genetic codes and crunching numbers -- basically an over-emphasis on the hard sciences -- is not enough.
But an educated bourgeois that is expected to pursue something more practical, eg medicine, engineering, etc would probably scoff at the idea of studying political science for four years (unless of course, one has plans to take the BCS).
One could be quick to assume that the liberal arts are meaningless erudition reserved for the privileged, or is a pseudo-intellectual practice that involves the appreciation of superficiality, an aimless philosophical musical that tries to answer big questions like the meaning of our lives, or the nature of humanity.
A liberal arts education, along with the humanities, promotes the sciences in earnest and fosters life-long learning. And by “learning,” liberal arts does not mean the accumulation of knowledge, it is the interpretation of that data that the liberal arts focuses on. It builds a democratic intellectual culture.
It is important today, more than ever, for the students of science to take up the humanities. Our future world problems are going to be very scientific, and science will get politicized, something that is already happening.
The distance between the laboratory and the parliament will shorten. It is the scientist’s responsibility to educate the people and the political system. But if those scientists do not have the necessary backgrounds in ethics, politics, or economics, then things could get dire.
Besides, one can have a PhD in a scientific discipline but can easily fall back into believing and preaching things that are unscientific -- something that happens when one fails to, not just know, but appreciate the history or the philosophy of science.
It is unfortunate that people like Abdullah Abu Sayeed are still relevant today. In a time when there are more pressing issues to talk about, Abu Sayeed writes about women’s clothing.
A liberal arts education changes the way we think, judge, weigh, and see the world around us, for the better. Abdullah Abu Sayeed’s ideas and influence are a setback to our subjective development.
But how about Ayman Sadiq? An inspiration to our youth sadly promotes a strong utilitarian version of what learning is.
He, with his growing influence, has become a walking self-help book (in a pejorative sense), a motivational speaker in a world where platitudes are one of the last things we need.
His books, with his narrow definition of “education,” and Suleiman Shukhon’s book filled with vacuous clichés are, shockingly, our best-sellers! It’s a shame that our youth would seek inspiration from such empty rhetoric, and look up to those who are intellectually insipid. However, in a dog eat dog world, it would be unfair to expect anything more.
Universities aren’t places to gather skills for the outside world, they should also be places that keeps a society’s moral and cultural decadence at check.
Most of us have accepted the work-sleep-entertainment cycle. Our source of entertainment is outrageously ultra-consumeristic: From Facebook “check-ins” to Dhaka’s endless array of restaurants, to bingeing on Netflix.
Bertrand Russell once said: “To be able to fill leisure intelligently is the last product of civilization, and at present, very few people have reached this level.”
Books are still the best medium for a deeper and more thoughtful engagement with ideas. But reading has been reduced to an act mostly done to escape reality, instead of embracing or understanding it. It is as if we cannot get off of that hedonistic treadmill that we are on.
A few days ago, we witnessed a heinous act of bigotry in Buet. Educated young people from well-off families gave us the Holey Artisan in 2016.
One can often wonder how these talented students could turn into cold-blooded murderers. It doesn’t surprise me though.
Education doesn’t turn people into model citizens, the “Liberal Arts” do. Because apart from enriching us, the liberal arts make sure that the difference between someone educated and someone uneducated is not merely money, or just the sophistication of skills, but also character.
Muntaha Faiaaz is a freelance contributor.
