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This is why I genuinely believe STEM majors should be required to take more liberal arts (e.g. ethics) classes as a requirement to graduate.

tqi 8y ago
Sure, we could all stand to be more well rounded. Liberal Arts majors should be required to take more science courses so they don't fall for dumb stuff like climate change denial or anti-vax nonsense.
- minikites 8y ago
  >Liberal Arts majors should be required to take more science courses They are, that's the point of a liberal arts education: https://college.harvard.edu/what-liberal-arts-education https://college.harvard.edu/what-liberal-arts-education >In our liberal arts program, students are broadly educated in the social sciences, the natural sciences and the humanities, as well as trained in a particular academic field of specialization called a concentration. https://admission.princeton.edu/academics/what-does-liberal-arts-mean https://admission.princeton.edu/academics/what-does-liberal-... >By exploring issues, ideas and methods across the humanities and the arts, and the natural and social sciences https://www.aacu.org/leap/what-is-a-liberal-education https://www.aacu.org/leap/what-is-a-liberal-education >It provides students with broad knowledge of the wider world (e.g. science, culture, and society)
- RoboticWater 8y ago
  I can't seem to find any data which suggests that Liberal Arts majors are significantly more likely to fall for climate change denial or the anti-vax movement. I find that most studies correlate political leaning with these beliefs, not area of study. Given that the Liberal Arts are overwhelmingly liberal in the US, I'd say your claim is probably wrong. If anything, a Liberal Arts educations ought to provide students a higher degree of skepticism towards all expressions of ideology, and seek to find the truth through critical research. Obviously, that's the ideal, note necessarily the reality in all cases, but it seems your notion of Liberal Arts is more akin to "hippy-dippy" nonsense, not critical study.
ianschenck 8y ago
I agree, philosophy of science/STS. And Paul Conte once told my father he believed programmers should have a base in cognitive psychology. I enjoyed my liberal arts electives far more than any engineering, math or other field-related course. Oh well.
ahakki 8y ago
Yes, I fully agree. The liberal arts are of utmost importantce to our culture and society as a whole. I cringe everytime I hear people say that access to these studies should be limited because they aren’t economicly viable. We don’t just need resources to live, we also need a reason.
chillacy 8y ago
A semester of philosophy or a few weeks on HN should teach you that you can weasel out of anything by playing epistemological games or arguing semantics.
0xffff2 8y ago
We do though? I had to take two GE philosophy courses and an engineering ethics course to get my degree.

tqi 8y ago

Sure, we could all stand to be more well rounded. Liberal Arts majors should be required to take more science courses so they don't fall for dumb stuff like climate change denial or anti-vax nonsense.

minikites 8y ago
>Liberal Arts majors should be required to take more science courses They are, that's the point of a liberal arts education: https://college.harvard.edu/what-liberal-arts-education https://college.harvard.edu/what-liberal-arts-education >In our liberal arts program, students are broadly educated in the social sciences, the natural sciences and the humanities, as well as trained in a particular academic field of specialization called a concentration. https://admission.princeton.edu/academics/what-does-liberal-arts-mean https://admission.princeton.edu/academics/what-does-liberal-... >By exploring issues, ideas and methods across the humanities and the arts, and the natural and social sciences https://www.aacu.org/leap/what-is-a-liberal-education https://www.aacu.org/leap/what-is-a-liberal-education >It provides students with broad knowledge of the wider world (e.g. science, culture, and society)
RoboticWater 8y ago
I can't seem to find any data which suggests that Liberal Arts majors are significantly more likely to fall for climate change denial or the anti-vax movement. I find that most studies correlate political leaning with these beliefs, not area of study. Given that the Liberal Arts are overwhelmingly liberal in the US, I'd say your claim is probably wrong. If anything, a Liberal Arts educations ought to provide students a higher degree of skepticism towards all expressions of ideology, and seek to find the truth through critical research. Obviously, that's the ideal, note necessarily the reality in all cases, but it seems your notion of Liberal Arts is more akin to "hippy-dippy" nonsense, not critical study.

ianschenck 8y ago

I agree, philosophy of science/STS. And Paul Conte once told my father he believed programmers should have a base in cognitive psychology. I enjoyed my liberal arts electives far more than any engineering, math or other field-related course. Oh well.

ahakki 8y ago

Yes, I fully agree. The liberal arts are of utmost importantce to our culture and society as a whole. I cringe everytime I hear people say that access to these studies should be limited because they aren’t economicly viable. We don’t just need resources to live, we also need a reason.

chillacy 8y ago

A semester of philosophy or a few weeks on HN should teach you that you can weasel out of anything by playing epistemological games or arguing semantics.

0xffff2 8y ago

We do though? I had to take two GE philosophy courses and an engineering ethics course to get my degree.