STEM and the Need for the Humanities

By:  

Evan Hockridge, BS Unmanned Aerial Systems & Earth System Science, Purdue University (2019)

I’d argue that STEM needs humanities more than humanities need stem. First of all, it’s important to understand that not everyone is inspired by money alone. Some people are very passionate about intellectual pursuits and do not care that some other degree could earn them more money. In fact, if a person is talented in a humanities field and thinks that way, it would be quite foolish for them to go study anything else just for money.

Second, humanities majors, at least as a generality, are compensated better in the long run than many other professions. For example, English majors do in fact have a tough time finding that first job. However, when compared to business majors, English majors are likely to earn just a tad more in their lifetime. What this shows is that something in the humanities (or at least English) higher education system is extremely valuable in the late career (despite early career difficulties).

Third, humanity needs the humanities because they study what it is to be human. I study ecology using drones. An ethicist would make me aware of the potential threats my drone has to the well being of others (there are many) or how the AI I use in my imagery analysis could one day have significant impacts on the course of human society. The political scientist would be able to inform me on the intricacies of global environmental politics that may impact me on my ability to use my methods abroad. An English major would be able to write about a dystopic future if the type of topics I study are not funded. A historian would be able to tell me about how my field has grown from the past to present. All of these things I include in science outreach and communication and use to gauge my interactions with the public, a significantly important part of my job.

At the end of the day, I couldn’t name you a single “company” that existed in Ancient Greece. However, it would not be hard to find information on the philosophers of that time. Film makers warned us about AI and robotics when they brought us terminator and now, I can barely talk to anyone about AI without them feeling uneasy about its advancements. This puts an important check on technologists and engineers to insure that they are careful in their developments.

There is a standing belief amongst some anthropologists that our species should be called Homo fictus instead of Homo sapien as we are so intimately connected to our stories, our psyche, and our overall position to the non-material world that we create as a society. The cultures that are generated by intricacies of our evolution. I am certainly glad there is a series of fields that study who we are, because it tells us what we could be. This is the value of the humanities.