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Show September 25, 1961 SIGNPOST Page 12 Track of the Cat Humanities vs. Science By LaVon Carroll During the past few years I nave listened to many discussions and have read any number of articles concerning the relative importance of the humanities and the sciences. The basic and widely accepted assumption of these is that they represent the two sides of man's nature, have always been vaguely troubled by this idea, and it is only recently when I sat down to prepare a rationale for the study of one branch of the hu manities, literature, that the matter has become clearer to me. The truth is that the basic assumption is grossly in error, for the humanitites do not represent one side of man's nature as opposed to the other represented by science. They represent the whole man as opposeo! to the fragmented man. They do not exist as disciplines of equal dimensions and hence as rivals for man's attention, for the sciences have chosen to be concerned soley with physical man in a physical universe. They divide men into categories and man into parts. They analyze and divide life into its most minute components and they have grown strong on the overwhelming appeal of the concrete, the possible and the present. On the other hand the humanities are not limited in their concern with what ostensibly should be the opposite of the physical man which is somewhat loosely termed the spiritual man. T h e arts and the studies which make up the humanitites are frequently as concerned with the physical man in his physical universe as are the scientist, but they are concerned to relate this part of him to the many other facets which make up the total human being. There can be no valid quarrel between the two as to which should be more important in the consciousness of the individual for although a man may serve science in one of its many branches with the greatest dedication, he is at all times, in the span that marks his existence upon this earth, human. In his absorption with scientific inves tigation or even with artistic creation he may feel relieved of his burdensome humanity for periods of time, but it is only an illusion and sometimes a dangerous one as our times have proven. Event ually each man has to confront love and hate, dostructiveness and those problems of life and death, constructiveness, pride and humil ity, frustration and accomplishment that each and everyone of us must come to grips with. The sciences have generally, and wisely, accepted and announc ed their own limitations, attempting to answer only such questions as that which I recently heard discussed on a radio program, "What is the chemical nature of life?" The commentator was enthused about the recent discoveries in connection with the mysterious DNA and predicted that possibly in the near future we would know how to create life chemically I listened with interest and respect, knowing how much work and dedication had gone into this investigation, but I also listened with a sense of sadness. How weird for us to $395 per week and you can own the Thrifty New YAM A HA Carey's Cycle Cent 8 3558 Riverdale Rd. Motorcycles are our business-not a Sideline know how to create life chemically when so few of us know how to live it. The thousands and thousands of hours of research which have gone into the discovery of this astounding secret have contributed practically nothing in the way of a solution to even the smallest of human problems. Granted of course that science has made life much more comfortable and far more exciting in many ways, and that it often takes a long while to benefit from such exotic kinds of knowledge, it is admitted by even leading scientists that our most urgent problems are in the field of human relationships. It is with human relationships and with the personal development of the human being that the humanities attempt to deal. It is sometimes erroneously believed mat trie humanities provide only an escape from real life, that painting, music, literature are all pleasant forms of diversion that decorate life, tranquillize the mind. Certain adulterated forms of the arts do have this as their aim, but the genuine products of great minds working in these most uniquely human of all activities must always confront life in its most fundamental issues. Contrary to what is generally assumed, I believe that it is the scientist who has access to the means of escaping from this harsh world more so than the art ist. I am sure there is no more ethereal atmosphere, no realm more detached from human prob lems than the upper reaches of mathematics and physics. I feel certain that many scientists experience transcendental ecstasies above and beyond any of those experienced by musicians, painter and writers, and they cannot be blamed for wishing to be left free to explore these rare and unearthly habitats. But trie painter, the musician, the writer, any artist who seeks to discover the meaning of life in terms of the whole complex of human existence and to express it in realistic terms must stay very close to the humblest facts of earthly existence. The great poet's wings atrophy as he plods his way along the muddy roads of human tragedy and human triumph over it. The humanities have lost the strength and influence with the rise of science and in this weakness have passively accepted the metaphor of a dichotomy of which they were the less important half, in self defense the arts have adopted .a "scientific" attitude, i.e., they have declared their right to explore and experiment without regard for moral judgment or ethical application. This may well prove disastrous to their future development for they will always be at a disadvantage in coping with the purely factual and the purely sensory experiences of mankind. ' It is not my intent in this dis- i cussion to suggest that the hu- j manities should be set above the sciences in the programs of our i schools or in the views of educat- ! ed people. To shift the balance i between the two areas drastically and to place a study of the arts' ahead of all other studies would only serve to perpetuate the false relationship which now exists. What should take place is change of perspective concerning this problem. It seems imperative to me that the humanities or those studies which seek to understand and illuminate the great problems of human existence and human relationships should be regarded as the backdrop against which all other studies are meaningful. The consciousness of the importance o f being human should permeate all studies in a college or university. It would not be necessary to add required courses in the humanities to the curriculum; those which are usually offered would be quite, adequate if they were offered and accepted with the renewed sense of their importance in the fulfillment if not the actual continuation of dignified human life upon this planet. See me on Page 5 7 ISMMH'K: mamm n lrn.i . .... ..ii.ii,m, n fummamnftu, irttTMtw,,, i'iiMr-itMfcMl)jtjl t A CHECKAVAY account is specifically tailored to help keep college expenses in "check". 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