What value is in liberal arts education?

[Audley Strange]

Is linguistics considered a liberal art?

[Audley Strange]

Also where can I sign up for a course in Totalitarian Arts?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Also where can I sign up for a course in Totalitarian Farts?

PM XC.

[Svartalf]

Is linguistics considered a liberal art?

Sure is a pretty soft science

[FBM]

Is linguistics considered a liberal art?

I don't think you'll find it in a science dept., though some linguists do use scientific instruments to do their analyses. Pretty firmly in the humanities, I think.

[Audley Strange]

hmmm I thought linguistics was tied up with neurology. You learn something every day.

[Svartalf]

Neurologists sure try to elucidate how brains work on language, but most linguists just work on how languages work.

[Seth]

Neurologists sure try to elucidate how brains work on language, but most linguists just work on how languages work.

How...cunning of them.

[FBM]

hmmm I thought linguistics was tied up with neurology. You learn something every day.

There is neurolinguistics.

[Coito ergo sum]

I think it has made my life more interesting, but majoring in a liberal art (Philosophy) has certainly limited my employability. I ran across the idea that many universities are considering downsizing or even eliminating their liberal arts courses and majors in favor of things like business, law, science and technology programs because of the relative unemployability of liberal arts grads. Would we be better or at least just as well off if we just learned about literature, arts, philosophy, history, etc, informally? In our spare time?

The liberal arts education, if the student actually does the work and learns the material, is awesome. It's very nice in life to have a strong background in history, philosophy, the arts, literature,logic, the classics, music and such. It forms a foundation upon which to base all other learning.

HOWEVER -- the problem with modern liberal arts degrees is that they are dumbed down and bullshit, easy to pass without actually mastering the material. If I thought a liberal arts graduate actually mastered a significant amount of material, I'd be impressed.

Also, the purpose of a liberal arts degree is not to prepare oneself for employment of some fashion. That should be obvious. Having a good foundation in Greek and Roman classics doesn't make you able to sell, or design, or build, or manage, or account or whatever. Those are different skills. The thing is, neither do so-called business degrees like marketing and "business management" and such. Those degrees are even more bullshit than liberal arts degrees.

What a person needs to do, and which few 18 to 21 year old can grasp, is take the bull by the horns in a project oriented fashion and figure out what they can do in life that they enjoy and which makes sufficient money for them, and then do what needs to be done to excel at that. Simply floating along through college taking "journalism" or "communications" or whatever fluffy major doesn't give you the needed skills for anything. They graduate and are mystified by the fact that folks aren't beating down the door to hire them for $75,000 a year salaries. The thing is, if they tried to think of it objectively, they would realize that they wouldn't hire themselves for most of the jobs they're looking for if they were paying the salary. That's because they haven't gotten any proven experience accomplishing anything besides drinking and partying in college and getting average grades in relatively easy curricula.

That's why it's important to have skill -- the best ones to get in college are advanced degrees like law, medicine and such. At an undergrad level, accounting, engineering, architecture, information technology, etc. are all good ones, because they allow employers to have a reasonably good expectation of what the graduate can do coming out of school. But it is possible to do both.

[Coito ergo sum]

Probably almost as much of a struggle as living without mezzo-soprano costume designer craftspeople, who write creative nonfiction.

None of my skills are useful. None.

They are to you.

En Route!!!!

And yes, you're right. Not so much to the pocketbook, but ah well.

They can be lucrative. Just gotta come up with something someone will buy and then convince them to buy it. You have a useful skill, you've just not harnessed it yet. You can do it. If it is what you want, you can envision where you want to be and do the things that need to be done to get there. You have the power. You have the talent. I guarantee it.

[Coito ergo sum]

ANYway, what is the value in liberal arts education in general, and how would we be different without it?

At least phrase the question without so much political bias. What about a Conservative Arts Degree?

First semester:

Creationism
Sexual Repression
Judgmentalism
Evolution Denial
A Survey of Global Warming Propaganda.

[Hermit]

ANYway, what is the value in liberal arts education in general, and how would we be different without it?

At least phrase the question without so much political bias. What about a Conservative Arts Degree?

First semester:

Creationism
Sexual Repression
Judgmentalism
Evolution Denial
A Survey of Global Warming Propaganda.

You have interpreted "liberal arts education" in a way I have not hitherto encountered.

[macdoc]

the best ones to get in college are advanced degrees like law, medicine and such. At an undergrad level, accounting, engineering, architecture, information technology,

only if your goal is money making early on instead of actually being educated. That you consider law as an advanced degree on a par with medicine yet relegate engineering and architecture to a lower hierarchy is telling.

Law is just training of predators to abuse the system.

Engineers architects etc are actual wealth creators.

If education is your goal in university as mine was, liberal arts is a good base as it enhances your communication skills and rounds out the limited scope of science and engineering.
Was a good base for me as a science bent with communication skills served well for a tech business owner. Serving my daughter well in her federal government work as well. Superb communication skills moved her up the feeding trough rather quickly and she's got a small web biz on the side....fuck $65k a year, set for life with 6 years seniority ( coop programs - each semester counts as a year ) and retirement at 53 and she's all of 22. Brat!!

Community college is where law should be along with office management and wire pulling...

Medical degrees are over valued and nursing and medical technology degrees under valued.

[FBM]

ANYway, what is the value in liberal arts education in general, and how would we be different without it?

At least phrase the question without so much political bias. What about a Conservative Arts Degree?

First semester:

Creationism
Sexual Repression
Judgmentalism
Evolution Denial
A Survey of Global Warming Propaganda.

You have interpreted "liberal arts education" in a way I have not hitherto encountered.

Wtf is he on about, anyway?