unit 1 Science vs the HUmanitiesdoc资料.docx

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unit1Sciencevs.theHUmanities

UnitOne

Sciencevs.theHumanities

JacquesBarzun

Text

1.Arethehumanitiesauselessfrill—avestigialappendageofourantiquatededucationalsystem?

Hastheimportanceoftechnologybeenstressedoverthatofthehumanitiesatatimewhenperhapstheconverseshouldbetrue?

Shouldwebotheratalltoteachthehumanitiesinourschools?

Thesearequestionswhichhaveoftenbeseteducatorsandserious-mindedthinkers.Letusinvestigatethesequestionsintheirbroadcontext,forourheritagedependstoanextentontheanswers.

2.[T1]Thehumanitiesarenotameredevice;theyarenotagenciesforgeneralimprovement.Thehumanitiesinthebroadculturalsense,andinthenarrowacademicone,haveusesthataremuchmoreintimateandpermanent.Inanygeneration,personsarebornwhofindbooks,music,worksofart,andtheatersintheworldandareinstinctivelydrawntothem.Thesepeoplegrowupwithaningraineddesirefortheobjectsoftheirinterestandapreferenceforpeopleofaliketaste.Alargergroup,thoughlessintent,takessimilarpleasureinartisticactivitiesfromtimetotime.Thetwogroupstogetherarestrongenoughtoimposeontheremainderthedailypresenceofwhatdelightsthem.

3.[T2]Thustheartofarchitectureanditsdecoration—thepost-officemuralortherestoredWilliamsburg—areforcedonmillionswho,lefttothemselves,mightliveinacaveoratent.Thusnewspapersandmagazinesreproducepictures,retellhistory,commentonartoldandnew,criticizemusicandbooks,writeaboutthelivesandopinionsofartists—inshort,caterfortheminoritywhoswayusallbytheirpeculiartastes.

4.Thusagain,publiclibrariesandmuseumsandconcertsinparksanddinner-hourbroadcasts“makeavailabletoall”（aswesay）theproductsofthesespecialconcerns.Consequently,whenwerepeatthecommonplacethatthemodernworldisruledbyscience,wemustatonceaddthatthatsameworldisgivenitsshapeandcolorbyart,itsmostpleasingsoundsandmeaningsbymusicandpoetry,itscategories,characters,andcatchwordsbyphilosophy,fiction,andhistory.[S1]Imagineallthedevoteesofthehumanitiessuddenlywithdrawingtoamonastery,takingwiththemallthatbelongstothem;theworkadayworldweknowwouldturnbeforeourastonishedfacesintosomethingbleak,dark,soundless,bareofsensuouscharm,andemptyofanymeaningbeyondthatofimmediateneedsandtheirfulfillmentbymechanicalaids.

5.Afewpersons—manyfewerthanthehumanitiescancountasdevotees—mightstillenjoyintellectualcontemplationandmathematicalthrills,[S2]buteventheymightmissfromthestrippedstageofdailylifethefurniturewecallcivilization.

6.Thiscontrastisatonceinstructiveandcomforting.[T3]Ittellsusthattheartsproduceobjectsforthesensesandnotonlyforthemind,whichisonereasonwhythehumanitiesarenotinterestedinproofsorinstatistics;inplaceofprooftheygivepossession,andinplaceofaveragestheygiveuniqueness.And,despitefashionsintaste,theseobjectsformanever-enlargingtreasury.Wespeakof3,000yearsofliterature,philosophy,andarchitecture;ofavastcollectionofobjectsofart,ofanimpressiverepertoryofmusic—allofitasvaried,newandmysteriousasiteverwas.Thisrealitypointstothetruerole,theindispensablefunction,oftheacademichumanities—theyaretheorganizersofourhugeinheritanceofcivilization.[T4]Withoutthecontinualworkofhumanisticscholars,weshouldbelivingnotinaculturefullofdistinctandvigoroustraditions—national,religious,artistic,philosophical,scientific,andpolitical;rather,weshouldberummagingaboutinanatticfullofincomprehensiblerelics.

7.When,therefore,therepresentativeofafoundationexpressesofficialskepticismaboutthehumanitiesinthemodernworld（noteverspeakingforhimself,sinceheisahumanistatheart,butforhisBoardofTrustees,whosehardheadednessisreportedasgranitic）,theargumentagainsthisskepticismisquitesimple:

Thehumanitiesareofnouseinthesocialworker'ssenseof“useful.”Theyareofuse,unobtrusively,alldayandeveryday,tothosewhorespectandenjoyandrequiretheevidencesofcivilization.

8.[T5]Theuseofthehumanities,then,isprovedandfixedbytheancient,unshakable,ever-spreadingdesireforthem.Onthesurface,theseusesappearmoreindividualthansocial,moreself-indulgentthanaltruistic.Somemenaresoselfishthattheyreadabookorgotoaconcertfortheirownsinisterpleasure,insteadofdoingittoimprovesocialconditions,asthegoodcitizendoeswhendrinkingcocktailsorplayingbridge.

9.[T6]Butonemusttakethingsastheyare;theadvocateofpracticalityisveryunpracticalifhedoesnot.Wemayacknowledgethedesirabilityofdevotinghumanenergiestokillingvirusesandimprovingourneighbors;butitdoesnotfollowthatallrewardsandresearchfundsshouldgotoprojectsfortheimmediatereliefofpainandsorrow—the“studies”thatpromisetoreducenail-bitingamongwallflowersandpreventdorsaldecubitusinbacksliders.

10.For,ifwedropthejargonofprojectsforamomentandlookaboutus,wefindthatpeoplehaveaperverselikingforsimplesatisfactionsoftheirownchoosing.Theylikesinginganddancingandstorytelling;theyliketoargueabouttheexistenceofGodandtherealityoftheirsenses;theywanttositinacornerwithabookoroutdoorswithaneaselandaboxofpaints;theycollectcoinsandarrowheads;theytracetheirgenealogyanddevelopaninterestinthehistoryoftheironpipeindustry.Theyreadaboutforeignaffairsandlearnforeignlanguagesforthesakeofaimlesstravelabroad;[S4][T7]thereisnoendtothesilly,scholarlyinterestthatactual,living,modern,scientific,respectableAmericancitizenswilltakeupratherthandoanhonestday'sworkclearingslumsandkeepingdowndivorce.

11.Therealstateofaffairsshouldnowbeplain.Thehumanities,whichpandertothesefolliesandwhichareperfectlyuselessasanantibiotic,areallaboutus,temptingoureye,ear,andmind,andalwaysadding,addingtotheloadofmischieftheystandfor.Theirpractitionersseemtohavenothoughtbuttoincreasethesumofthethingstheydealin.[T8]True,thesethingsdonotcostanymorethantheundertakingsofsocialscience—ratherless—andfarlessthanthemightyenterprisesofphysicalscience.Tothatextentthehumanitiesareunwiseand,perhaps,undeservingoftheattentionofthoseentrustedwithmillionsforeducationalpurposes.Yetthosesameguardians,itiswellknown,giveoftheirownmoneytotheliberalartscollegeoftheiryouthandsendtheirchildrentheretostudychieflythehumanities.Thepracticalman,itseems,hasbeentoobusyspinningdreamsofmedicalandbehavioralbettermenttobringhisopinionsinlinewithhispractice.

12.[T9]Theacademichumanitiesundoubtedlydealwiththearts;why,then,doesn'titfollowthatscholarsandteachersinthosefieldsareartists,oratleastcultivatedmen?

Thefactisthattheyarenot,orneednotbe.[T10]Thismustbebluntlysaid,ifonlytopreventtheseriousclaimsofthehumanitiesfrombeingunderstoodastheclaimsofhumaniststowisdom,elegance,andglamour.Notlongago,awell-knownpsychiatristdenouncedthehumanitiesasawastefulexpense.Putthetimeandmoneyintomasspsychoanalysis,hesaid,andthesumofindividualhappinessinthiscountrywouldbeimmeasurablyincreased.Thissortofargumentisunanswerable.Itisalsoirrelevant.Butitshowsthedangerofperpetuatingconventionalnonsenseabouttheacademichumanistsandtheirwork.[S5]Theycanbeadequatelyrewardedandrespectedonlywhentheyappearintheircolors.

13.Thehumanities,then,arenotaCinderellawhogoesforthintotheworldonlywiththeaidofmagicandhastoscurryhomewhenrealliferesumesitssway.Quitethecontrary,thehumanitiesarepermanentlyabroad,andifintheiracademicsettingtheyarepoor,itisbecausetheiractualservicesaretakentoomuchforgranted;itisthat,bydintoflivingontheirintellectualcapital,theylookrich—richinstudents,richinenthusiasm,richinintangiblerewards.Theyarepoorinmeans,becausetheyhavenotknownhowtomakeouttheircaseontheirowngrounds.[T11]Theyhaveclaimedpowersthatbelongeithertonomanortoothermen,andatthesametimetheyhavebeenculpablymodestandretiring.

14.Theyhaveheardsanctimoniousvoicesrepeatingadnauseamthat“mandoesnotlivebybreadalone,”andtheyhaveneverinterruptedtosay,“Bakersandbutchers,bequiet—anddischargeyourdebttousforthealchemywhichmakesyourlifebehindthecounterbearable.“

15.Therejoinder,tobesure,isneithergraciousnorennobling,butitisatleasthonestand,whencompetitionistheorderoftheday,itisappropriate.Inmorecontemplativemoments,thehumanitiescanfindotherwordstorepresentthem,anditiswithapproximationofsuchwordsthatthisarticlecomestoanend.

16.Thehumanitiesareaformofknowledge.Likeotherknowledge,thisdealswithman'slifeinnatureandsociety,butitisacquiredthroughthestudyofman'sspiritualcreations—language,art,history,philosophy,andreligion.[T12][S6]Thisfilteringofthesubject,man,throughthemediumofmindhastheeffectofkeepingalwaysintheforegroundtheelementofnovelty,ofuniqueness,ofastonishingunpredictability.[T13]Whereasthestudyofnatureassumesandfindsitsuniformities,andwhereasthescientificstudyofsocietytriesalsotograspwhatisregularandinevitable,thestudyofnatureandmanthroughthehumanitiesdwellsonwhatisindivi