Why are the sciences helped by the humanities?

Give me a minute to explain.

Jessica Hooten Wilson wrote an essay for Public Discourse last year where she pointedly says when it comes to education we have “idolized usefulness.” She then asks the question, “What if education was meant to make us free?”

Her point is that the humanities in general, the study of English in particular, “rehumanizes” us; whereas, in the cultural climate of our day, “marketable skills” supposedly wins the day. She says,

“I did not become a professor to train English majors to make money. Such an end is a waste of time for anyone who remembers that they are going to die.”

I love the sciences and humanities equally because I love academics. But if we’re depending on science professors to write grants to bring monies into our schools, then we need the humanities to make sure we stay human.

Thanks for spending this minute with me, Dr. Mark Eckel.

Mark Eckel (MA English, ThM Old Testament, PhD Social Science Research) is Executive Director of the Center for Biblical Integration, Liberty University.

“Give Me a Minute” is an ongoing effort to simply, clearly, and quickly explain aspects of true Truth.

Gratitude, as always, to my longtime friend, videographer, and tech guru Josh for his continued service.

AFTERWORD Some of my writing about the humanities from a decidedly Christian perspective:

Author Without Authority: Stephen Crane’s Red Badge of Courage [2011, Spring 2013 Intégrité: A Journal of Faith and Learning]

Byron, Shelley, and Keats: The Poet as God, Poetry as Scripture [2011]

My review of Liberal Arts for the Christian Life [2012]

Our view of ethics is founded on our view of human nature [2016]

“Who Do We Think With?” my review of Alan Jacobs In the Year of Our Lord 1943 [2021]

Theories and the Bible [2023 “A theory is a man-made interpretive view of a subject.”]