The place of Liberal Arts in today's age

The world is changing, and so are we. Over the past 100 years, a lot has been happening -

discoveries, inventions, patents - all with one purpose, one goal - to make the world a

better place for us, humans. But even with everything so transient, knowledge is one

thing that remains. Then why is it that the very foundation of this knowledge is based on

an orthodox system that’s been stagnant for decades now?

The education system of India has overly exhausted its limited resources and deficient

schools of thought. It's designed to build great careers, but not great minds. The problem

with this is that students are taught to believe what they're taught, not question it, hence

keeping them from unlocking their true potential.

“Liberal education strengthens the mind and furnishes it with perspective, judgment, independence, and a tolerance of other viewpoints.”

Liberal studies are the breakthrough that the current system, in its explicitly exploited

state desperately requires. We've been taught to learn facts, not offer or criticize opinions.

Liberal arts, at the most basic level, teaches its students to think critically. It builds what

is called a humanist approach towards any presented facts and opinions, where a

conclusion is drawn only after analyzing multiple perspectives.

Liberal arts promote the development of not only an aware society but a conscious one.

The difference might be a thin line, but the whole point is to realize the importance of

that silver lining. In times like these, change is the only thing that’s constant, and to keep

growing, we need to keep changing. Liberal education offers the flexibility for this very

change. It asks not only the question of ‘what’, but also ‘why’, adding another dimension

to the knowledge one is equipped with.

The uncertainty of the current times cannot be stressed enough, no matter what

formatting I use. When something grows, it discards more than it ingests, with the world

growing at rate never seen before, no role, no job is permanent. It is a matter of time

before everything we do is replaced by Artificial Intelligence. The background

information learned in a liberal arts education gives one the knowledge to excel if they

are ever made to find work outside the field in which they specialize.

A liberal arts education creates a well-rounded individual. The experience of studying a

wide range of material creates opportunities and allows for personal evaluation.

Broadening one’s knowledge in vast areas develops communication, problem-solving

skills, and social responsibility regardless of intended careers. It teaches students to

synthesize, accept, learn and tolerate unconventional beliefs, something that would help

them adapt to unusual or unfamiliar situations in future as well. If liberal arts education

were replaced with specialized education, in universities, it won’t only be the students

would be at a disadvantage, but the society as a whole.

Steve Jobs once said, “Technology alone is not enough. It’s technology married with the

liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the results that make our hearts

sing.”

It’s important to remember that, while there is a demand for STEM students and

specialized degrees, liberal arts is the new safety net one could fall back into, and avoid

being replaced by machines.