History and literature are often seen as luxuries in the modern curriculum. I must oppose attempts to give history and literature a subordinate position in the curriculum. These subjects are just as important as science and mathematic, for several reasons.
First there is much more to life than expertise of science and math. A balanced education requires exposure to history and literature as well. Indeed, knowledge of history is essential to education in the sciences, because one cannot understand a science well without knowing how it developed and who developed it.
In addition, history is a record of the most important subject of all : human behavior. What people did with discoveries and inventions is at least as important as what people discovered and invented. Whereas science gives us insight into the physical and biological environment around us, history increases our understanding of our human environment.
Meanwhile, literature gives us a clearer understanding of almost everything else, by putting thoughts into vivid languages. Consider Shakespeare, in Julius Caesar : "The evil that man do lives after them ; the good is oft interred with their bones. There is an important idea, clearly expressed. Would it come to mind so easily, were it not part of a famous work of literature? Ideas made available through literature and history are essential to a complete education. That is why it is a mistake to emphasize science and math at their expense. |