From: clin@eng.umd.edu (Charles Lin)
Subject: Re: Engineering/Sciences bashing ( Re: Any Humanities Grads out there?)
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 92 21:44:11 GMT
Organization: College of Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park
Originator: clin@tea.eng.umd.edu


In article <1992Apr16.195600.27715@ra.msstate.edu>, wkl1@Ra.MsState.Edu (Wing-Keong Loke                                               the consummate chronic prevaricator) writes:
>	I like to respond to the comment that Literature contributes
>only when people are satisfied.  I don't think that the Native Americans
>or the Aborigines throughout the world who have been deposed because
>they lack the scientific knowledge to counter foreign agression would
>say science is really great.
>
>	Is science really great?  The people in Central America love
>things like poetry.  It's macho for grown men to recite poetry.  Their
>pace of life is slow and relaxed.  But, in a world dominated by the
>stranglehold of science and business, you get them rushing to work
>at jobs which pay $25 a week so that they can live.  What about the
>people in Nepal?  Science gave China the power to hold that nation
>in subjugation.  Science has also given us vaccines, cars, and many
>other really wonderful things, but I contend that these things are
>wonderful because we have used them wisely.  Putting a satelite in
>space is great, but until we make the HUMAN connections does the
>technology begin to pay off.  Science is just like a dumb computer
>without a brain.
>

   I once heard a talk differentiating science from technology.  Science
is the systematic study of natural phenomena while technology is the
application of such knowledge to the construction of physical things
that help out humans such as the computer, bridges, roads, tv's.
Technology was perceived by the speaker to be more dangerous than science
whose aim is more to learn than apply that to "improve" human life.

>	While science have had the good fortune to be widely put to
>good use, have we listened to what the humanities disciplines have
>to say?  Are you going to blame communism on the humanities?  How
>about praising the humanities for democracy or literacy which we
>need to communicate?  What about the law profession?  Ever think
>we could do without lawyers be they ever so maligned?
>	If you've never felt the power of Literature, perhaps you've
>never had a prof give a marxist interpretation of John Donne's poems
>or the rapacity of colonialism as Joseph Conrad writes about in his
>book "Nostromo."  Doesn't history tell us to be more patient and be
>less aggressive?  Haven't we let the lessons that the humanities
>teach us because we can profit by following mindlessly science ?
>Business practices today are plagued with ethical dilemnas because
>people conduct their businesses as if people aren't involved at all.
>Similarly, science is not a numbers and materials discipline.  We'd
>very quickly get bogged down if there is no meshing between the
>sciences and the humanities.  To focus too much on the good of
>science is to turn people into automatons or, worse, servants of
>the scientific machine/revolution.

   Humanities offers to teach us these lessons, but whether we take them
to heart or not is a different matter.   Whether it provides the answers
to ethical dilemmas is also another matter.  That we face these questions
may be the primary value of the humanities to technology.

>
>	There realy isn't any good science and humanities.  Science is
>not bad when people build nuclear reactors in the hope of freeing
>us from our dependency on natural resources.  There are a lot of
>nuclear wastes that can only be buried for thousands of years, but
>that does not mean science is bad.  Mistakes will happen.  So, don't
>go putting up a title like "Engineers are being bashed by the Humanities
>majors."  You're making value judgements that are practically indefensible
>when you say things like that.  It's just the same with the "good" and
>"bad" argument.  Literature can keep your mind off your stomach when
>there isn't enough food to go around.  Literature can tell you about
>those heroes who have stuck with their principles, ideas, or hope 
>through thick and thin and give you asense of belonging and keep
>your spirits up.  Songs can banish loneliness away.  So before you
>begin to say that the humanities do not contribute, look at others, 
>not yourself or even those who are close to you.  There are billions
>of people on this planet, and ask  yourself if it's reasonable to
>make such sweeping judgements with the experience and knowledge you have.
>

   I personally was offering reasons why I thought humanties were looked
down upon.   This does not equate it to looking down upon the humanities.
This does not mean that I think science can only do good.  However,
we should be careful not to neglect it either.  Science has brought a
lot more people into more rational reasoning (well,..) so that we don't
worry so much about evil spirits and various sicknesses being caused
by demons.  In some ways, it is a kind of philosophy unto itself which
says that there should be some physical evidence or proof that
something is happening rather than the various superstitions that occurred
(not to say that science has eradiacated that -- even among scientists).

>
>	Be a little humble when you talk about touchy matters.  Isn't
>it contradictory to talk about humanities majors bashing engineers when
>you post a title accusing humanities majors of bashing engineers?  It's
>like it's all right for me to POINT out their folly, but when they
>speak up it BASHING us.
>

    Again, all I was saying there (assuming you're referring to me -- could
be wrong) was that one reason that engineers may bash humanities majors
is that humanities majors bash engineers and vice versa.  I am offering
potential reasons for the phenomena which was what was asked by the
original poster of the article (i.e. "Why do engineers/scientists look
down upon humanities majors?")  These are possible reasons.  They are
not justification for whether one should look down upon either
major.   For example, if I ask why minorities hate whites, I might
be able to provide reasons.  Whether those reasons are justified are a different
matter and one that I wasn't attempting to address.

--
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