/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.3729719]

Hey /lit/. Recently I've been thinking a lot about the whole concept of "the humanities" (or whatever it's called in English) compared to the concep of science etc.. This is especially because i'm about to decide what education (university) to choose.

Even though i absolutely love literature and languages, i just feel like it is, honestly, a dying concept.. I mean, there are very few questions and ideas that a skilled psychiatrist combined with a skilled psychologist won't be able to answer. And the debate about the meaning of life has much more to do with astronomy and biology than anything else.

I discussed this with a friend studying "the history of ideas", and he said that science still cant explain, for example, *why* particular hormones stimulate the brain like they do - but it just seems like a very vague answer.

*sigh* /lit/ - can you come up with some positive perspectives on this? Because right now i am totally decouraged from applying for the studies/courses i actually want to study.

[Anonymous No.3729741]

I've heard of several people switching from science/mathematics to the humanities, in frustration that the former don't tackle their own justification (i.e. epistemology) or deal with aspects of mind as it relates to the physical world which are still too speculative for neuroscience to weigh in on in a big way. So this often depends on what sort of questions you are interested in, and your own views concerning knowledge, and how we come by it.

[Anonymous No.3729767]

>>3729719
Are you from Denmark? I study "History of Ideas" as well, although we call it Idéhistorie, which isn't quite the same as history of ideas.

But as for your question: Science is based on a certain method, a certain method will produce certain results - humanities is supposed to keep the field of possibility open, that is to keep science from closing on itself. If you want some really good critique (in the older sense, meaning merely judging it) you should read Feyerabend's 'Against Method", and if you really want to read why it is important to keep the thinking open you should try and check out Heidegger's "The Question of the Technique"

[Anonymous No.3729785]

>>3729719

>>>/sci/

[Anonymous No.3730034]

da fuck did OP go?

[Anonymous No.3730827]

> I mean, there are very few questions and ideas that a skilled psychiatrist combined with a skilled psychologist won't be able to answer.

You don't know much about psychiatry I take it? The field is highly divided and still has a lot to work on.

>And the debate about the meaning of life has much more to do with astronomy and biology than anything else.

Again, you don't know much about philsophy right? If anything, meaning has more to do with philosophy of language and axiology than with Biology and Astronomy.

[Anonymous No.3730850]

>>3729719
>And the debate about the meaning of life has much more to do with astronomy and biology than anything else.

This is patently untrue. No biologist could ever judge what constitutes a good and moral life, or derive a meaningful system of values, even if they were a neurologist. The push to reform human issues into questions of science is only anti-intellectualism with a different hat. Keep thinking.

[Anonymous No.3730858]

>>3729767
That essay is usually called The Question Concerning Technology in English, just fyi.

[Anonymous No.3730938]

>>3729719
nope, humanities will have a very important place in the next few decades
trust me, when capitalism falls apart, we're going to need all the thinkers we can get. we're gonna need leaders

[Anonymous No.3732933]

>>3730858
Oh, thank you for clearing that up - now that I look at my translation again, it sort of sounds like an Hip-Hop album

[Anonymous No.3732965]

>>3730938

"when capitalism falls apart, we will need thinkers"

what the fuck does that even mean? you stupid fucking 17-year old with little to no life experience

you're making the wrong comparisons between science and humanities. all subjects work together in a liberal education, they don't compete. humanities doesnt try to solve the question of life (besides philosophy). its all about communication and understanding other people's perspectives

[Anonymous No.3732972]

>/sci/ trying to be subtle

isn't it just the cutest thing?

[Anonymous No.3732999]

>>3732933
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-bQ_7xacVc

[Anonymous No.3733008]

>>3732999