Eliza Jane Schaeffer Assignment 4

I actually read an article recently that debated the importance of a liberal arts education. Lately, there’s been a lot of emphasis on STEM education (Science, Technology, and Math). This article argued that this emphasis is not doing students any good. It first started because the United States wanted to mimic the Chinese. China is really good at perfecting technique and mass producing technology and following instructions, but they’re really bad at innovation and creativity. That’s because there’s almost no emphasis on the liberal arts in China. The United States is the opposite. Traditionally, there’s been a huge emphasis on the liberal arts education, and America has been a source of innovation and progress since its conception.

I believe liberal arts, and more specifically literature, are so important to my education and personal development. Literature encourages us to expand our minds by posing questions and exploring ideas. It forces us to think hard about certain subjects. It allows us to learn about cultures and parts of the world that we will never have a chance to visit. Through the liberal arts, we become better thinkers, cultured citizens, and skilled empathizers. The human mind wasn't meant to crunch numbers and plug things into formulas. We were meant to ponder and learn and create. The liberal arts celebrate that.