4.Will the Humanities Save Us?

Stanley Fish

In the final paragraph of my last column，I observed that the report of the New York State Commission on Higher Education slights—indeed barely mentions—the arts and humanities，despite the wide-ranging scope of its proposals.Those who posted comments agreed with David Small that“the arts and the humanities are always the last to receive any assistance.”

There were，however，different explanations of this unhappy fact.Sean Pidgeon put the blame on“humanities departments who are responsible for the leftist politics that still turn people off.”Kedar Kulkarni blamed“the absence of a culture that privileges Learning to improve oneself as a human being.”Bethany blamed universities，which because they are obsessed with“maintaining funding”default on the obligation to produce“well rounded citizens.”Matthew blamed no one，because in his view the report's priorities are just what they should be:“When a poet creates a vaccine or a tangible good that can be produced by a Fortune 500 company，I'll rescind my comment.”

Although none of these commentators uses the word，the issue they implicitly raise is justification.How does one justify funding the arts and humanities?It is clear which justifications are not available.You can't argue that the arts and humanities are able to support themselves through grants and private donations.You can't argue that a state's economy will benefit by a new reading of“Hamlet.”You can't argue—well you can，but it won't fly—that a graduate who is well-versed in the history of Byzantine art will be attractive to employers(unless the employer is a museum).You can talk as Bethany does about“well rounded citizens，”but that ideal belongs to an earlier period，when the ability to refer knowledgeably to Shakespeare or Gibbon or the Thirty Years War had some cash value(the sociologists call it Cultural capital).Nowadays，larding your conversations with small bits of erudition is more likely to irritate than to win friends and influence people.

At one time justification of the arts and humanities was unnecessary because，as Anthony Kronman puts it in a new book，“Education's End: Why Our Colleges and Universities Have Given Up on the Meaning of Life，”it was assumed that“a college was above all a place for the training of character，for the nurturing of those intellectual and moral habits that together from the basis for living the best life one can.”It followed that the realization of this goal required an immersion in the great texts of literature，philosophy and history even to the extent of memorizing them，for“to acquire a text by memory is to fix in one's mind the image and example of the author and his subject.”

It is to a version of this old ideal that Kronman would have us return，not because of a professional investment in the humanities(he is a professor of law and a former dean of the Yale Law School)，but because he believes that only the humanities can address“the crisis of spirit we now confront”and“restore the wonder which those who have glimpsed the human condition have always felt，and which our scientific civilization，with its gadgets and discoveries，obscures.”

As this last quotation makes clear，Kronman is not so much mounting a defense of the humanities as he is mounting an attack on everything else.Other spokespersons for the humanities argue for their utility by connecting them(in largely unconvincing ways)to the goals of science，technology and the building of careers.Kronman，however，identifies science，technology and careerism as impediments to living a life with meaning.The real enemies，he declares，are“the careerism that distracts from life as a whole”and“the blind acceptance of science and technology that disguise and deny our human condition.”These false idols，he says，block the way to understanding.We must turn to the humanities if we are to“meet the need for meaning in an age of vast but pointless powers，”for only the humanities can help us recover the urgency of“the question of what living is for.”

The humanities do this，Kronman explains，by exposing students to“a range of texts that express with matchless power a number of competing answers to this question.”In the course of this program—Kronman calls it“secular humanism”—students will be moved“to consider which alternatives lie closest to their own evolving sense of self.”As they survey“the different ways of living that have been held up by different authors，”they will be encouraged“to enter as deeply as they can into the experiences，ideas，and values that give each its permanent appeal.”And not only would such a“revitalized humanism”contribute to the growth of the self，it“would put the conventional pieties of our moral and political world in question”and“bring what is hidden into the open—the highest goal of the humanities and the first responsibility of every teacher.”

Here then is a justification of the humanities that is neither strained(reading poetry contributes to the state's bottom line)nor crassly careerist.It is a stirring vision that promises the highest reward to those who respond to it.Entering into a conversation with the great authors of the western tradition holds out the prospect of experiencing“a kind of immortality”and achieving“a position immune to the corrupting powers of time.”

Sounds great，but I have my doubts.Does it really work that way?Do the humanities ennoble?And for that matter，is it the business of the humanities，or of any other area of academic study，to save us?

The answer in both cases，I think，is no.The premise of secular humanism(or of just old-fashioned humanism)is that the examples of action and thought portrayed in the enduring works of literature，philosophy and history can create in readers the desire to emulate them.Philip Sydney put it as well as anyone ever has when he asks(in The Defense of Poesy，1595)，“Who reads Aeneas carrying old Anchises on his back that wishes not it was his fortune to perform such an excellent act?”Thrill to this picture of filial piety in the Aeneid and you will yourself beCome devoted to your father.Admire the selfless act with which Sidney Carton ends his life in A Tale of Two Cities and you will be moved to prefer the happiness of others to your own.Watch with horror what happens to Faust and you will be less likely to sell your soul.Understand Kant's categorical imperative and you will not impose restrictions on others that you would resist if they were imposed on you.

It's a pretty idea，but there is no evidence to support it and a lot of evidence against it.If it were true，the most generous，patient，goodhearted and honest people on earth would be the members of literature and philosophy departments，who spend every waking hour with great books and great thoughts，and as someone who's been there(for 45 years)I can tell you it just isn't so.Teachers and students of literature and philosophy don't learn how to be good and wise；they learn how to analyze literary effects and to distinguish between different accounts of the foundations of knowledge.The texts Kronman recommends are，as he says，concerned with the meaning of life；those who study them，however，Come away not with a life made newly meaningful，but with a disciplinary knowledge newly enlarged.

And that，I believe，is how it should be.Teachers of literature and philosophy are competent in a subject，not in a ministry.It is not the business of the humanities to save us，no more than it is their business to bring revenue to a state or a university.What then do they do?They don't do anything，if by“do”is meant bring about effects in the world.And if they don't bring about effects in the world they cannot be justified except in relation to the pleasure they give to those who enjoy them.

To the question“of what use are the humanities?”，the only honest answer is none whatsoever.And it is an answer that brings honor to its subject.Justification，after all，confers value on an activity from a perspective outside its performance.An activity that cannot be justified is an activity that refuses to regard itself as instrumental to some larger good.The humanities are their own good.There is nothing more to say，and anything that is said—even when it takes the form of Kronman's inspiring cadences—diminishes the object of its supposed praise.

(From The New York Times，January 6，2008)

Questions for Discussion(问题讨论)

1.Discuss the answers，the different people give to the question raised in the title of the article.What is your answer?

2.How does scientific civilization relate to the goal of living a life with meaning?

3.Why does the author think the humanities cannot be justified?How does that relate to the raison d'être then?

4.Where do Stanley Fish's views differ from Anthony Kronman's?

5.What do you think the current status and the proper place of the humanities are in China?

Language Tips(阅读提示)

Default on:Fail to do something that you legally have to do.

But the argument won't fly:But the argument won't hold water or be successful.

Edward Gibbon:(1737-1794)British historian.Educated at the University of Oxford and in Switzerland，Gibbon wrote his early works in French.In London he beCome a member of Samuel Johnson's brilliant intellectual circle.On a trip to Rome he was inspired to write the history of the city.His Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire，6 vol.(1776-1788)，is a continuous narrative from the 2nd century AD to the fall of Constantinople in 1453.Though Gibbon's conclusions have been modified by later scholars，his aComen，historical perspective，and superb literary style have given his work its lasting reputation as one of the greatest historical works.

Thirty Years'War:A series of wars in central Europe beginning in 1618 that stemmed from conflict between Protestants and Catholics and political struggles between the Holy Roman Empire and other powers.It ended with the Peace of Westphalia(1648).三十年战争对近代欧洲国际社会的形成和发展具有极其重要的意义，重要表现在它彻底削弱了神圣罗马帝国，确认了欧洲主权国家体系的存在，同时还有力地促成了近代国际法体系的诞生。其特有的宗教特性以及所产生的民族国家特性，尤其是维斯特伐利亚条约的签署，使其被称为“最后一场宗教战争”和“第一场近代意义上的民族国家间的战争”，威斯特伐利亚和约确立了国家主权至上的国际基本原则，建立了以国际会议方式和平解决国际争端的模式，是近现代国际关系的奠基石。

Cultural capital:It is the knowledge，experience and or connections one has had through the course of their life that enables them to succeed more so than someone from a less experienced background.

Anthony Kronman:Professor at Yale Law School specialized in contracts，bankruptcy，jurisprudence，social theory，and professional responsibility.He was the Dean of Yale Law School from 1994 to 2004.Kroman received his B.A.degree from Williams College in 1968，Ph.D.(Philosophy)from Yale University in 1972，and J.D.degree from Yale Law School in 1975.He was an editor of Yale Law Journal when he studied at Yale Law School.He recently published a book，Education's End，which is summary of the disarray of our higher education system especially in regard to the question of the meaning of life.

Not so much mounting a defense of the humanities as he is mounting an attack:注意此句的语气以及强调的重点。

Careerism:It is the overwhelming desire or urge to advance one's own career or social status，usually at the expense of other personal interests，integrity or social growth.

Bottom line:It refers to a company's net earnings，net inCome or earnings per share(EPS).Bottom line also refers to any actions that may increase/decrease net earnings or a company's overall profit.A company that is growing its net earnings or reducing its costs is said to be“improving its bottom line.”The reference to“bottom”describes the relative location of the net inCome figure on a company's inCome statement；it will almost always be the last line at the bottom of the page.This reflects the fact that all expenses have already been taken out of revenues，and there is nothing left to subtract.This stands in contrast to revenues，which are considered the“top line”figures.Most companies aim to improve their bottom lines through two simultaneous methods: growing revenues(i.e.，generate top-line growth)and increasing efficiency(or cutting costs).Figuratively，it also means the final result or essential point.

For that matter:常用于句中承上启下，意为“as far as that is concerned”。

Sir Philip Sidney:(1554-1586)English courtier，statesman，soldier，and poet.Born into an aristocratic family and educated to be a statesman and soldier，Sidney served in minor official posts and turned to literature as an outlet for his energies.Astrophel and Stella(1591)，inspired by Sidney's passion for his aunt's married ward，is considered the finest Elizabethan sonnet cycle after William Shakespeare's sonnets.The Defence of Poesie(1595)，an urbane and eloquent plea for imaginative literature，introduced the critical ideas of Renaissance theorists to England.His heroic romance Arcadia，though unfinished，is the most important work of English prose fiction of the 16th century.None of his works was published in his lifetime.Wounded in action while soldiering in the Netherlands，he died from an infection，and he was widely mourned as the ideal gentleman of his day.

Aeneas:Aeneas was a mythical hero of Troy and Rome.He was the son of Aphrodite and Anchises，a member of Trojan royal family.According to Homer，he was second only to his cousin Hector in defending Troy during the Trojan War.The Aeneid by Virgil(70BC-21BC)，the greatest of Roman poets，tells of Aeneas's escape after Troy's fall，carrying his elderly father on his back，and of his journey to Italy，where his descendants beCome the rulers of Rome.The Aeneid is Virgil's masterpiece，a national epic that tells the story of the heroic Aeneas and the founding of Rome.The long poem is often compared to Homer's the Iliad and the Odyssey，Greek epics combining history and mythology.

Sydney Carton:Sydney Carton is a significant character in the novel A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens，a quick-minded but depressed English barrister alcoholic，and cynic；his Christ-like self-sacrifice redeems his own life as well as saving the life of Charles Darnay.Carton is first encountered as barrister in the trial of Charles Darnay，a young Frenchman to whom he bears a strong resemblance.Carton defends Darnay against charges of treason towards the English government.During the trial，Carton notices Lucie Manette.Carton beComes enamored of her and jealous of Darnay because of the obvious sympathy she has for him.Carton feels regret for the fact that he has wasted much of his life in drinking and attempts to rationalize this unsatisfying state of affairs with the excuse that he has tried to change his ways but proved himself incapable of the necessary effort.He reveals this to Lucie Manette and vows that he would be willing to do anything for her if it would ensure her well-being or that of anyone she loves.

Faust:浮士德Faust or Faustus(Latin for“auspicious”or“lucky”) is the protagonist of a classic German legend who makes a pact with the Devil in exchange for knowledge.Faust's tale is the basis for many literary，artistic，cinematic，and musical works，such as those by Christopher Marlowe(马洛)，Johann Wolfgang von Goethe(歌德)，Thomas Mann(托马斯·曼)，Hector Berlioz(柏辽兹)，Franz Liszt(李斯特)，Charles Gounod(古诺)，and Gustav Mahler(马勒).The meaning of the word and name has been reinterpreted through the ages.“Faust”(and the adjective“Faustian”)has taken on a connotation distinct from its original use，and is often used today to describe a person whose headstrong desire for self-fulfillment leads him or her in a diabolical direction.ThestorywaspopularizedinEnglandby Christopher Marlowe，who gave it a classic treatment in his play The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus.But in Goethe's reworking of the story two centuries later，Faust beComes a dissatisfied intellectual who yearns for“more than earthly meat and drink.”Inspired by Goethe，many artists took up the story，including Hector Berlioz(in the dramatic cantata The Damnation of Faust)and Charles Gounod(in the opera Faust).

Categorical imperative:In Immanuel Kant's moral philosophy，an imperative that presents an action as unconditionally necessary(e.g.，“Thou shalt not kill”)，as opposed to a hypothetical imperative that presents an action as necessary only on condition that the agent wills something else(e.g.，“Pay your debts on time，if you want to be able to obtain a mortgage”).Kant held that there was only one formally categorical imperative，from which all specific moral imperatives could be derived.In one famous formulation，it is:“Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should beCome a universal law.”A hypothetical imperative compels action in a given circumstance:if I wish to quench my thirst，I must drink something.A categorical imperative，on the other hand，denotes an absolute，unconditional requirement that asserts its authority in all circumstances，both required and justified as an end in itself.良心至上的道德观，德国哲学家康德，用以表达普遍道德规律和最高行为原则(the supreme principle of morality)的术语。又译“直言命令”。“命令”即支配行为的理性观念，其表述形式有假言和定言两种。假言命令是有条件的，认为善行是达到偏好和利益的手段。定言命令则把善行本身看做目的和应该做的，它出自先验的纯粹理性，只体现善良意志，与任何利益打算无关，因而它是无条件的﹑绝对的。康德把绝对命令表述为:“不论做什么，总应该做到使你的意志所遵循的准则永远同时能够成为一条普遍的立法原理。”(《实践理性批判》，第30页)康德还推出一条实践原则﹕你的行动，要把你人格中的人性和其他人人格中的人性，在任何时候都同样看做是目的，永远不能只看作是手段。康德的“绝对命令”，在于强调意志自律和道德原则的普遍有效性，它体现了康德伦理学的实质。康德(1724—1804)德国哲学家、天文学家、星云说的创立者之一、德国古典哲学的创始人；唯心主义不可知论者，德国古典美学的奠定者。康德的“三大批判”构成了他的伟大哲学体系，它们是:《纯粹理性批判》Critique of Pure Reason(1781)、《实践理性批判》Critique of Practical Reason(1788)和《判断力批判》Critique of Judgment(1790)。

Instrumental to some larger good:Serving as a crucial means，agent or tool for other larger wellbeing.

Inspiring cadences:Those inspiring words by Kronman.

Cultural Notes(文化导读)

Humanities:人文学科这里首先要弄清humanities，liberal arts以及social sciences三者之间的关系。Liberal arts，term originally used to designate the arts or studies suited to freemen.It was applied in the Middle Ages to seven branches of learning，the trivium of grammar，logic，and rhetoric，and the quadrivium of arithmetic，geometry，astronomy，and music.In modern colleges and universities，the liberal arts include the study of literature，languages，philosophy，history，mathematics，and science.The humanities are academic disciplines which study the human condition，using methods that are primarily analytic，critical，or speculative，as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural and social sciences.They cover branches of knowledge that investigate human beings，their culture，and their self-expression.Distinguished from the physical and biological sciences and，sometimes，from the social sciences，the humanities include the study of languages and literatures，the arts，history，and philosophy.Social science refers to any discipline or branch of science that deals with the socioCultural aspects of human behaviour.The social sciences generally include Cultural anthropology，economics，political science，sociology，criminology，and social psychology.Comparative law and comparative religion(the comparative study of the legal systems and religions of different nations and cultures)are also sometimes regarded as social sciences.

Byzantine art:拜占庭艺术Art associated with the Byzantine Empire.Its characteristic styles were first codified in the 6th century and persistedwithremarkablehomogeneityuntilthecaptureof Constantinople by the Turks in 1453.Concerned almost exclusively with religious expression，it tends to reflect an intensely hierarchical view of the universe.The most distinctive feature was the domed roof.Byzantine structures featured soaring spaces and sumptuous decoration:marble columns and inlay，mosaics on the vaults，inlaid-stone pavements，and sometimes gold coffered ceilings.It relies on vigour of line and brilliance of colour；individual features are absent，forms are flattened，and perspective is absent.Walls，vaults，and domes were covered in mosaic and fresco decoration in a total fusion of architectural and pictorial expression.Byzantine sculpture was largely limited to small ivory reliefs.The importance of Byzantine art to European religious art was immense； the style was spread by trade and expansion to the Mediterranean basin，eastern European centres，and especially Russia.

Fortune 500:It is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S.public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect.The list includes publicly and privately-held companies for which revenues are publicly available.Also，the Fortune Global 500 is a ranking of the top 500 corporations worldwide as measured by revenue.The list is compiled and published annually by Fortune magazine.“世界500强”，是国人对美国《财富》杂志每年评选的“全球最大五百家公司”排行榜的一种约定俗成的叫法。The companies are ranked by 12 indices，among them revenues； profits；assets；stockholders'equity；market value；profits as a percentage of revenues，assets，and stockholders'equity；earnings per share growth over a 10-year span；total return to investors in the year；and the 10-year annual rate of total return to investors.Wal-Mart was the largest company on the list in 2007 and 2008.《财富》杂志还举办每两年一次的“《财富》全球论坛”，目前已经在中国上海、香港和北京举办过三届。从1995年开始，每两年一次的财富全球论坛已经举办了9次，分别在新加坡、布达佩斯、曼谷、巴黎、华盛顿、上海、香港、北京举行。

Further Online Reading(网络拓展阅读)

The Prescience of CP Snow，50 Years on

The Novelist's Warning of Cultural Fragmentation Has Come to

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/may/07/cp-snow

The Uses of the Humanities，Part Two

http://fish.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/13/the-uses-of-the-humanitiespart-two/

The Two Languages of Academic Freedom

http://fish.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/08/the-two-languages-of-academicfreedom/

Bound for Academic Glory?

http://fish.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/23/bound-for-academic-glory/

Journalism 101(报刊点滴)

报刊的网络化:随着网络的飞速发展，报刊已进入传统纸质与网络电子版并行这一态势。一开先河的是《纽约时报》官方网站2008年对其精品——评论与专栏也由原来收费的Premium内容开禁从而对所有人免费开放。英国的《金融时报》对普通读者也全部开放，但尚有文章数量限制。其他如《华盛顿邮报》、《泰晤士报》、《卫报》、《经济学家》等也全面开放。下面是一些英语国家报刊官方网站:

●The Los Angeles Times《洛杉矶时报》www.latimes.com

●The New York Times《纽约时报》www.nytimes.com

●Washington Post《华盛顿邮报》www.washingtonpost.com

●The Wall Street Journal《华尔街日报》www.wsj.com

●Chicago Daily Tribune《芝加哥论坛报》www.chicagotribune.com/

●USA Today《今日美国》www.usatoday.com

●The Christian Science Monitor《基督教科学箴言报》www.csmonitor.com

●Times《泰晤士报》www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/global/

●The Daily Telegraph《每日电讯报》www.telegraph.co.uk/

●The Guardian《卫报》www.guardian.co.uk/

●The Financial Times《金融时报》www.ft.com

●Time Magazine《时代》周刊www.time.com

●The New Zealand Herald:http://www.nzherald.co.nz/

●The Australian:www.theaustralian.news.com.au/

●Sidney Morning Herald:www.smh.com.au/

●The Globe and Mail:www.theglobeandmail.com/

●The Star:www.thestar.com/default

Reading Comprehension Quiz(选文测验)

I.According to the article，determine which statements are true and

which are false.

1.Stanley Fish thinks that the New York State Commission on Higher Education does not give due respect to the humanities.

2.Matthew would expect a poet to create a vaccine.

3.A student good at Byzantine art may be an attractive candidate for a job in a museum.

4.A new reading of“Hamlet”probably means a new interpretation of the work.

5.A former dean of the Yale Law School regards scientific civilization as impediments to living a life with meaning.

II.Choose the best answer to each of the following questions.

1.Anthony Kronman thinks________.

A.a college was assumed to contribute to living the best life one could

B.reading，even memorization，of the great texts of literature，philosophy and history was required

C.only the humanities can address the crisis of spirit

D.all of the above

2.What does Anthony Kronman oppose in the process to strive for a

meaningful life?

A.Secular humanism.

B.Careerism.

C.Revitalized humanism.

D.Cultural capital.

3.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in this article?

A.Sidney Carton killed himself.

B.A new reading of Hamlet may not benefit economy.C.Faust was not willing to sell his soul.

D.Philip Sydney wrote The Defense of Poesy.

4.Which is NOT true about the author?

A.At the time of writing，he has been in the field of the humanities for 45 years.

B.He thinks the humanities are supposed to save at least those who study them.

C.He thinks teachers and students of the humanities just learn how to analyze literary effects and to distinguish between different accounts of the foundations of knowledge.

D.He thinks Kronman's remarks compromise the object of its supposed praise.

5.Which statement could best summarize this article? A.The arts and humanities fail to produce well-rounded citizens.B.The humanities won't save us because humanities departments are too leftist.

C.The humanities are expected to train character and nurture those intellectual and moral habits for living a life with meaning.

D.The humanities don't bring about effects in the world but just give pleasure to those who enjoy them.