Liberal arts education offers extensive intellectual space to humanity issues. It helps students explore ideas, issues, and methods across humanities, arts, and social sciences. The student might learn to read critically and write well through broad thinking. Liberal arts prepare students to make a living as well. It gives students the freedom to think, communicate, solve problems, and be innovative. Through such skills, lifelong learning is attained. The liberal art degree emphasizes achieving a more remarkable career and a well-lived life (Roche 54). The paper will focus on liberal art education, precisely philosophy, and social sciences. The goal of these two disciplines is that they enlighten people to think broadly. The discipline prepares the students to solve complex and diverse world issues. By studying social sciences, one gets exposed to real problems facing society, such as hunger, poverty, and diseases. Therefore, as the issue of liberal arts will be discussed, the paper will analyze three values concerning liberal arts. The values are intrinsic, practical, and existential.
Intrinsic value is the measurement of worthiness. This can be measured by value projection. Liberal arts remain the greatest investment in practical development such as skill development, career opportunity, and lifetime earnings. Pursuing liberal arts has some intrinsic worthiness. Intrinsic value means appreciating the experience of arts, music, or whatever one is doing. In addition, the worthiness might be estimated with the amount of kindness, generosity, and compassion demonstrated (Wintrol 78) The effort of seeking understanding, profoundly and rigorously evaluating what is currently known in one’s search for understanding, and advancing the depth and completeness of human knowledge, in general, are among the most intrinsically worth pursuits in the human purview. With liberal arts education, there is an expansion of mind in every book read and social system grasped. Every book or article read expands the reason to have the capacity to make more meaning of the world and effect changes.
Liberal art education has practical value. Living in a world where future graduates will be employed in job roles that do not exist today requires practical skills. The students will need some exceptional skills to solve problems, research, and communicate. Employers are finding liberal arts students excel in qualities such as teamwork, communication, and solving problems (Roche 59). This type of learning is more valuable than training in single expertise that may become obsolete shortly after graduation. Students need to be taught practical skills that will help them acquire the hands-on skills required in the market.
The last value is existential, which is the branch of philosophical doctrine. It was developed as an alternative to human nature and conduct to appreciate methods of scientific induction. Existentialism teaches about students’ freedom to choose their future. This value believes there is no god or higher power that guides students (Arcilla 34) Therefore, it encourages students to make their own personal decisions in their lives. The value considers that there is no pre-determined purpose. Each person is free to choose how they wish to live their lives and their purpose in life.
Work cited
Arcilla, René Vincente. Mediumism: A philosophical reconstruction of modernism for existential learning. SUNY Press, 2011.
Roche, Mark William. Why choose the liberal arts? University of Notre Dame Pess, 2010.
Wintrol, Kate. “The intrinsic value of the liberal arts: Cicero’s example.” (2014).
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