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| Rushing students through university and fixating on science is not the way forward | Rushing students through university and fixating on science is not the way forward |
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| It is to our detriment that the political focus on technology sees science and society as separate or even as being opposed. We need joined-up thinking• David Cannadine is president of the British Academy | |
| Fri 22 Dec 2017 12.00 GMT | |
| Last modified on Fri 22 Dec 2017 12.01 GMT | |
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| The refrain of the past few years has surely been that we live in uncertain times. And hackneyed as that mantra might now be, the evidence is all around us – institutions are distrusted and derided, expertise is mocked and scorned, xenophobia and populism are on the march. | The refrain of the past few years has surely been that we live in uncertain times. And hackneyed as that mantra might now be, the evidence is all around us – institutions are distrusted and derided, expertise is mocked and scorned, xenophobia and populism are on the march. |
| When human affairs seem more than usually baffling and bewildering, it is tempting to suppose that there may be simple solutions to complex problems – and in a government that risks at any moment being undone from the inside, we can see how widely this attitude has taken hold. As with Harold Wilson in the 1960s, so again today, the answer to the challenges we face is thought to be found in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. | When human affairs seem more than usually baffling and bewildering, it is tempting to suppose that there may be simple solutions to complex problems – and in a government that risks at any moment being undone from the inside, we can see how widely this attitude has taken hold. As with Harold Wilson in the 1960s, so again today, the answer to the challenges we face is thought to be found in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. |
| In our ever-changing world, the ability to adapt may be the single skill that employers will most want and be on the lookout for | In our ever-changing world, the ability to adapt may be the single skill that employers will most want and be on the lookout for |
| In his autumn budget, the chancellor spoke of embracing a new technological era, but he made no reference as to how we would come to understand it, or deal with what will surely be its momentous and challenging social consequences. And while the initial funding for the industrial strategy focused on innovation and technological finesse – satellites and batteries, driverless cars and automation – little was made of how human beings will adapt to these changes. | In his autumn budget, the chancellor spoke of embracing a new technological era, but he made no reference as to how we would come to understand it, or deal with what will surely be its momentous and challenging social consequences. And while the initial funding for the industrial strategy focused on innovation and technological finesse – satellites and batteries, driverless cars and automation – little was made of how human beings will adapt to these changes. |
| Make no mistake: these are all exciting innovations and demonstrate the immense strength of the UK’s research base. The government is right to plan carefully to address issues that have already revolutionised the way we live and work. But all too often we look at these challenges through only a single lens, and it is to our detriment and our cost that we see science and society as separate or even as being opposed. | Make no mistake: these are all exciting innovations and demonstrate the immense strength of the UK’s research base. The government is right to plan carefully to address issues that have already revolutionised the way we live and work. But all too often we look at these challenges through only a single lens, and it is to our detriment and our cost that we see science and society as separate or even as being opposed. |
| Yet the challenges facing us today are as much human and societal as they are technical and scientific. We will need insights from psychology, from law, from sociology and history to address some of the great uncertainties of our time. These subjects provide a deep understanding of the human consequences of change, and set our world in context. | Yet the challenges facing us today are as much human and societal as they are technical and scientific. We will need insights from psychology, from law, from sociology and history to address some of the great uncertainties of our time. These subjects provide a deep understanding of the human consequences of change, and set our world in context. |
| There are many great questions facing humanity today. Here are some of them. How can we make our cities better places in which to live? How can we ensure that we will enjoy a high quality of life as we age? How will automation affect the workforce? How will people spend the greater leisure time which it seems increasingly likely many of them will have? How should businesses behave more ethically? What is the future of democracy? | There are many great questions facing humanity today. Here are some of them. How can we make our cities better places in which to live? How can we ensure that we will enjoy a high quality of life as we age? How will automation affect the workforce? How will people spend the greater leisure time which it seems increasingly likely many of them will have? How should businesses behave more ethically? What is the future of democracy? |
| In the increasingly joined-up world in which we live, joined-up thinking and joined-up knowledge are becoming more essential than ever before. Insights from the humanities, the social sciences and the creative arts are as vital as those from science, technology and maths if we are to understand, to manage and to make our way through this period of unprecedented challenge and change. | In the increasingly joined-up world in which we live, joined-up thinking and joined-up knowledge are becoming more essential than ever before. Insights from the humanities, the social sciences and the creative arts are as vital as those from science, technology and maths if we are to understand, to manage and to make our way through this period of unprecedented challenge and change. |
| So it is disappointing to hear commentators such as Simon Jenkins dismiss the idea held by humanities departments that education is a good in itself. | So it is disappointing to hear commentators such as Simon Jenkins dismiss the idea held by humanities departments that education is a good in itself. |
| As it happens, there is indeed much intrinsic good in studying the humanities: they are essential to any society that wishes to be open, tolerant, civilised and democratic; they help us understand the broader patterns of human behaviour; they teach perspective and a sense of proportion. | As it happens, there is indeed much intrinsic good in studying the humanities: they are essential to any society that wishes to be open, tolerant, civilised and democratic; they help us understand the broader patterns of human behaviour; they teach perspective and a sense of proportion. |
| What’s more, the humanities and social sciences are where the UK’s economic strengths lie, and they are strengths to which we must continue to play. Our service sector already accounts for some 80% of our GDP and there are great opportunities for further growth and increased productivity. And many people working in such productive areas as the creative industries and financial, legal and professional service are graduates in the humanities and the social sciences. | What’s more, the humanities and social sciences are where the UK’s economic strengths lie, and they are strengths to which we must continue to play. Our service sector already accounts for some 80% of our GDP and there are great opportunities for further growth and increased productivity. And many people working in such productive areas as the creative industries and financial, legal and professional service are graduates in the humanities and the social sciences. |
| Yet in the recent debate about the purpose and value of education, there has been too much concentration on the assumed link between science, technology and economic growth (back to Wilson). For example, an as yet unproved connection between shorter degree courses and a more productive workforce. If academics are teaching all year round, when will they carry out the research on which our world leading reputation is based? And is two years enough for students to develop their thinking on those issues that have no straightforward answer? There is a debate to be had before we move forward. | Yet in the recent debate about the purpose and value of education, there has been too much concentration on the assumed link between science, technology and economic growth (back to Wilson). For example, an as yet unproved connection between shorter degree courses and a more productive workforce. If academics are teaching all year round, when will they carry out the research on which our world leading reputation is based? And is two years enough for students to develop their thinking on those issues that have no straightforward answer? There is a debate to be had before we move forward. |
| If we want more innovation and a more productive workforce (and which country does not?), we should be thinking more broadly about the skills we will need for the future. | If we want more innovation and a more productive workforce (and which country does not?), we should be thinking more broadly about the skills we will need for the future. |
| In our ever-changing world, the ability to adapt may be the single skill that employers will most want and be on the lookout for, and graduates in the humanities and the social sciences are especially well-equipped with a raft of vital “future-proof” skills: communication, team-working, analysis and flexibility. Is it just coincidence that Germany has been Europe’s most successful postwar economy and has also invested heavily in the humanities and social sciences, as well as science and medicine? | In our ever-changing world, the ability to adapt may be the single skill that employers will most want and be on the lookout for, and graduates in the humanities and the social sciences are especially well-equipped with a raft of vital “future-proof” skills: communication, team-working, analysis and flexibility. Is it just coincidence that Germany has been Europe’s most successful postwar economy and has also invested heavily in the humanities and social sciences, as well as science and medicine? |
| A few days ago, the Archbishop of Canterbury led off an excellent discussion in the House of Lords, moving the motion: “That the House takes note of the role of education in building a flourishing and skilled society.” We should all take note. And in so doing, we should recognise that the humanities and social sciences are essential to producing an educated people, an educated citizenry – and an educated workforce. | A few days ago, the Archbishop of Canterbury led off an excellent discussion in the House of Lords, moving the motion: “That the House takes note of the role of education in building a flourishing and skilled society.” We should all take note. And in so doing, we should recognise that the humanities and social sciences are essential to producing an educated people, an educated citizenry – and an educated workforce. |
| • David Cannadine is president of the British Academy | • David Cannadine is president of the British Academy |
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