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1、The humanities: Out of date?1When the going gets tough, the tough takeaccounting.When the job market worsens, many studentscalculatethey cant major in English or history.They have to study something thatbooststheirprospectsof landing a job.2The data show that as students have increasingly shouldered
2、 the ever-rising cost of tuition, they havedefectedfrom the study of the humanities and towardappliedscience and hard skills that theybetwill lead to employment.In other words, a college education is more and more seen as a means for economic betterment rather than a means for human betterment.This
3、is a trend that is likely topersistand evenaccelerate.3Over the next few years, as labor markets struggle, the humanities will probably continue their long slide insuccession.There already has been a nearly 50 percent decline in the portion ofliberalarts majors over the past generation, and it islog
4、icalto think that the trend isboundto continue or even accelerate.Once thedominantpillarsof university life, the humanities now play little roles when students take their college tours.These days, labs are morevividandcompellingthan libraries.4Here, please allow me to stand up for andpromotethe true
5、 value that the humanities add to peoples lives.Since ancient times, people havespeculatedabout themysteryof those inner forces that drive some people to greatness and others toself-destruction.This inner drive has been called many things over the centuries.The famous psychologist,Sigmund Freud, cal
6、led it the unconsciousmind or, more familiarly, instinct.5From the beginning of time, this inner aspect of our being, this drive that can be constructive ordestructive, has captured our imagination.The stories of this amazing struggle have formed the basis of cultures the world over.Historians,archi
7、tects, authors,philosophersand artists have captured the words, images and meanings of this inner struggle in the form of story, music, myth, painting, architecture, sculpture,landscapeand traditions.These men and women developed artistic languages that help us understand these aspirations and also
8、educate generations.Thisfertilebody of work from ancient times, the very foundation of civilization, forms the basis of study of the humanities.6Studying the humanities improves our ability to read and write.No matter what we do in life, we will have a huge advantage if we can read complex ideas and
9、 understand their meaning.We will have a bright career if we are the person in the office who can write a clear andelegantanalysisof those ideas!7Studying the humanities makes us familiar with the language of emotion and the creative process.In an information economy, many people have the ability to
10、 produce a useful product such as a new MP3 player.Yet, very few people have the ability to create aspectacularbrand: the iPod.Most importantly, studying the humanitiesinvestsus with greatinsightand self-awareness,therebyreleasing our creative energy and talent in a positive and constructive manner.
11、8Perhaps the best argument in favor of the humanities is thescopeof possibilities that are widely open to us.Did you know thatJames Cameron, world-famous director of the movie,Titanic, graduated with a degree in the humanities?So didSally Ride, the first woman in space.So did actorsBruce Lee,Gwyneth
12、 Paltrow,Renee ZellwegerandMatt Damon.Dr.Harold Varmus, who won a Nobel Prize for Medicine, studied the humanities.EvenMichael Eisner, Chairman of the Disney Company, majored in the humanities.Famous people who studied the humanities make a long list indeed.Its easy to see that the humanities can pr
13、epare us for many different careers and jobs we canundertake, whether medicine, business, science or entertainment.If we study only mathematics, its likely we will be acandidateonly for jobs as a mathematician.If we include studying the humanities, we can makebreakthroughson manybarriersand are limi
14、ted only by our effort and imagination.9Of course, nowadays, if we study the humanities alone, we areliableto miss many opportunities.Each one of us needs to become as technically and professionally skilled as possible to help meet the needs of modern life.In fact, increasingly a pairing of technica
15、l knowledge and inner insight is seen as the ideal in theestablishmentof a career.If I were theDeanof Admissions at a medical school and two people applied to our school, both having the required basic scientific courses, one a philosophy major and the othersolelya pre-med student, the philosophy ap
16、plicant would be chosen.10In summary, the humanities help to create well-rounded human beings with insight and understanding of the passions, hopes and dreams common to all humanity.The humanities, the ancient timelessreservoirof knowledge, teach us to see things differently and broaden our horizons.They are as useful and relevant in our modern age as they have always been.Doesnt it make sense to spend some time in the company of the humanities, ouroutstandingand remarkable treasure of knowledge?Who knows how famous YOU might become!