Now mathematics, engineering and computer science are wonderful disciplines – intellectually demanding and fulfilling. And they are economically vital for any advanced society. But mastering them teaches students very little about society or history – or indeed about human nature. As a consequence, the new masters of our universe are people who are essentially only half-educated. They have had no exposure to the humanities or the social sciences, the academic disciplines that aim to provide some understanding of how society works, of history and of the roles that beliefs, philosophies, laws, norms, religion and customs play in the evolution of human culture.
(Thanks to Joe Hatfield for the pointer.)
AND MORE: Reader Ozkan Oz writes:
Just wanted to comment that the epithet "half-educated" in that context may be a bit optimistic.
After studying philosophy I spent some time as a graduate fellow at the Logical AI lab of a computer science department here in the Great White North. I remember meeting a Doctor of Philosophy(!) candidate in computer science with whom the name "Socrates" did not seem to ring any bells.
So much for artificial *intelligence*!




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