The knowledge gained and the methods learned from a liberal arts education enables students to form their own well-grounded opinions and beliefs, rather than deferring to an outside authority. This type of education also lets us avoid the prejudices of our age. Every age has its own outlook. A broad education, including samplings from the great minds of the past, lets us see past the blind spots imposed by our contemporary age. In this way, we are able to identify and correct those misperceptions that prevent our seeing the truth.
Classes taken in the liberal arts can also provide unforeseen benefits.
Other students may find a knowledge of French, which they never expected to use, gives them an advantage when they get a job with a company which has a subsidiary in Europe. Finally, general knowledge enhances creativity. Strokes of genius and solutions to everyday problems both arise more quickly from a mind that has a greater breadth of resources from which to draw. Often subjects which appear to have little or no relationship to each other combine in new and interesting ways. So the broad-based foundation of education acquired in the liberal arts, which emphasizes the ability to think and communicate effectively, can set students on the path to successful careers.