Humanities: The Past or Future?

As the world goes into an era of science and technology, more and more questions are beginning to arise about the necessity of studying humanities. In 2024, universities nationwide awarded a total of 165,489 bachelor’s degrees which is recorded as the smallest amount since 1991. Additionally, studies in 2025 show that the number of students working towards a bachelor’s degree have been declining every year with the total percentage decrease being 28% since 2015. In the last decade, interviews and statistics have also indicated that a growing number of college applicants express a greater amount of interest in pursuing a STEM related major rather than Humanities ones.

Are people losing interest in humanities or are these subjects simply falling behind in this fast paced society? Now, whenever you search online for posts about some of the most-discussed questions they usually go along the lines of“why are humanities even important right now?” and “is it even important for our lives today?” The truth is that even though we are living in a time of rapid advancements and instant access to digital platforms, humanities, more specifically the skills that these subjects educate us on, are still very much important.

Examining information critically and facing everything with skepticism are two of the most essential skills that one can pick up from a humanities course. Though often unnoticed, subjects such as literature and philosophy, unlike math and science, usually don’t have a definitive answer to their topics. This encourages students to create their own interpretations, question former claims, think independently, and view situations from multiple perspectives. Now, stepping into modern society, within a time where information can be accessed and even shared by anyone online, it is more than important to remain skeptical of the things we take in. This will allow us to analyze objectively and avoid bias as well as misinformation. Critical thinking also comes in handy when it comes to problem solving in modern jobs. Nowadays, many companies are requiring applicants to demonstrate critical thinking skills, the ability to analyze information, and to have a clear understanding on global integration, rather than only being trained in a specialized field.

This moves us on to another advantage that we gain through our learning in humanities courses-being prepared for a variety of occupations. When asked about whether they will continue pursuing literature or history majors in college, almost all of the students that gave a negative answer had at least some kind of concern on the difficulty of finding a stable occupation. In the fast paced and ever-shifting market of the modern era, people who graduate from humanities majors are actually much better at adapting than expected. This is mainly because of their clear understanding of politics, trade, psychology, and many more aspects that gives them huge advantages in the modern global market. A study from the New Yorker about The End of the English Major shows that a large percentage of people running Fortune 500 companies are liberal arts graduates. The article presented that liberal arts graduates advance more rapidly into management positions, and their earning power usually rises more significantly compared to people with only technical training. To add to that, the workplace is always in a constant need of employees who can think creatively, express themselves clearly, and think in different perspectives, examples of skills all fostered by the humanities.

This ability to think in a diverse range of perspectives is a valuable skill that can be obtained through studying classes such as history and philosophy. These classes require students to study diverse views from different cultures, understand the actions of others from the past, and explore moral structures. An article from Inside Higher Education explains that studying the literary texts of diverse cultures teaches people to put themselves in the positions of others and experience the world very differently compared to their own perspective. This not only inspires empathy but also helps students understand and express themselves better.

What is to become of this field of study in the future is uncertain, but there are high hopes of it being preserved and helping humans navigate the future. Louise McCune, an English and Newspaper teacher here at Stevenson School shares her thoughts on preserving humanities in the future: “Humanities is not just something that we should preserve because some people love reading, it is something that we should preserve because it makes us better as a full community.” In the future, humanities majors might be holding an essential role as automation increases the demand for unique skills. These include deciphering information credibility, advanced communication abilities, and the creation of ethical guidelines for the usage of technology.

Humanities might not seem much at first sight, but when you dig deeper, you will discover that it makes up so many aspects of our daily lives. It is the base of empathy, communication, and basically everything else that makes us who we are.