【⼈⽂学科】为什么⼈⽂学科不应被摒弃“We are drowning in information, while starving forwisdom.”
“世⼈被知识压死，智慧却少得很。”
That epigram from E.O. Wilson captures thedilemma of our era. Yet the solution of some folksis to disdain wisdom.
高血压用什么药E·O·威尔逊( E.O. Wilson)⼀语道破了我们这个时代的困境。但⼀些⼈给出的应对之道竟是鄙弃智慧。
“Is it a vital interest of the state to have moreanthropologists?” Rick Scott, the Florida governor,once asked. A leader of a prominent Internetcompany once told me that the firm regards admission to Harvard as a uful heuristic of talent,but a college education itlf as uless.
“拥有更多⼈类学家是本州的关键利益所在吗?”佛罗⾥达州州长⾥克·斯科特(Rick Scott)曾经这样问道。某著名互联⽹公司的负责⼈曾经告诉我，该公司把哈佛⼤学的录取通知书当成⼀个⼈是否有才的具有启发性的有⽤
姑娘大声唱依据，但并不认为⼤学教育本⾝有什么参考价值。
Parents and students themlves are acting on the principles, retreating from thehumanities. Among
college graduates in 1971, there were about two business majors for eachEnglish major. Now there are ven times as many. (I was a political science major; if I weredoing it over, I’d be an economics major with a foot in the humanities.)
学⽣和家长们正按照这类准则⾏事，纷纷摒弃⼈⽂学科。1971年，商科本科毕业⽣和英语系本科毕业⽣的⽐例是2：1。现在，两者的⽐例是7：1。(我学的是政治学专业；如果可以重来⼀次，我会去学经济学，同时选
修⼈⽂学科。)
I’ve been thinking about this after reading Fareed Zakaria’s smart new book, “In Defen of aLiberal Education.” Like Zakaria, I think that the liberal arts teach critical thinking (not tomention nifty words like “heuristic”).
律字拼音⾃从读了法⾥德·扎卡⾥亚(Fareed Zakaria)颇有见地的新书《捍卫⼈⽂教育》(In Defen of a LiberalEducation)之后，我⼀直在思考这⼀现象。和扎卡⾥亚⼀样，我认为⼈⽂教育有助于培养学⽣的批判
性思维(具有“启发性”等漂亮话就更不⽤说了)。
龙女传说So, to answer the skeptics, here are my three reasons the humanities enrich our souls andsometimes even our pocketbooks as well.
⼈⽂学科可以丰富我们的精神⽣活，有时甚⾄可以充实我们的钱袋⼦。为了回应怀疑论者，我在此给出三点
理由。
First, liberal arts equip students with communications and interpersonal skills that are valuableand genuinely rewarded in the labor force, especially when accompanied by technical abilities.
早上问好
⾸先，⼈⽂教育有助于提⾼学⽣的沟通和⼈际交往能⼒，在职场上，这种能⼒可以给⼈带来巨⼤的回报，尤
潜伏在校园
其是在跟技术能⼒共同起作⽤的时候。
“A broad liberal arts education is a key pathway to success in the 21st-century economy,” saysLawrence Katz, a labor economist at Harvard. Katz says that the economic return to puretechnical skills has flattened, and the highest return now goes to tho who combine softskills — excellence at communicating and working with people — with technical skills.
家乡变化手抄报“在21世纪的经济体系中，宽泛的⼈⽂教育是通往成功的重要途径，”哈佛⼤学的劳动经济学家劳伦斯·卡茨(Lawrence Katz)说。卡茨称，纯技术能⼒的经济回报已经趋平，既具有软能⼒——善于与他⼈交流和协同⼯作——⼜具有技术能⼒的⼈获得的回报是最⾼的。
“So I think a humanities major who also did a lot of computer science, economics, psychology,or other sciences can be quite valuable and have great career flexibility,” Katz said. “But youneed both, in my view, to maximize your potential. And an economics major or computerscience major or biology or engineering or physics major who takes rious cours in thehumanities and history also will be a much more valuable scientist, financial professional,economist, or entrepreneur.”
“因此我认为，⼀个⼈⽂专业的学⽣，如果对计算机科学、经济学、⼼理学或者其他学科也颇有研究，就会很有价值，在职场是会有很⼤的灵活性的。”卡茨说，“但在我看来，你必须'脚踏两只船’，才能最⼤限度地挖掘⾃⼰的潜能。⼀个经济学专业的学⽣，或者是计算机专业、⽣物学专业、⼯程学专业、物理学专业的学⽣，如果正经⼋百地修过⼈⽂和历史课程，也会成为⼀个更有价值的科学家、⾦融专业⼈⼠、经济学家或者企业家。 ”
My cond reason: We need people conversant with the humanities to help reach wi publicpolicy decisions, even about the sciences. Technology companies must constantly weighethical decisions:
黄素梅
Where should Facebook t its privacy defaults, and should it tolerateglimps of nudity? Should Twitter clo accounts that em sympathetic to terrorists? Howshould Google handle x and violence, or defamatory articles?
我的第⼆个理由：我们需要通晓⼈⽂学科的⼈来帮忙做出明智的公共政策决策——甚⾄是和科学有关的决策。科技公司必须不断对伦理决策进⾏权衡：Facebook的默认隐私设置应该是什么样的，该容忍些许裸体影像的存在吗?Twitter该关停似乎对恐怖分⼦颇为同情的账号吗?⾕歌(Google)该如何处理关于性与暴⼒的内容以及诽谤性⽂章?
In the policy realm, one of the most important decisions we humans will have to make iswhether to allow germline gene modification. This might eliminate certain dias, easuffering, make our offspring smarter and more beautiful. But it would also change ourspecies. It would enable the wealthy to concoct superchildren. It’s exhilarating and terrifying.
在政策领域，我们⼈类必须做出的⼀个最为重要的决定：是否允许修正⼈类⽣殖细胞基因。⼈类⽣殖细胞基因修正或许可以消灭特定种类的疾病，减少痛苦，让我们的后代更聪明、更美丽。但它同时也会改变我们这个物种，会让富⼈有机会炮制出犹如超⼈的⼦⼥。这真是既令⼈振奋，⼜透着恐怖。
To weigh the issues, regulators should be informed by first-rate science, but also by first-rate hum
anism. After all, Homer addresd similar issues three millenniums ago.
要权衡这类问题，监管者不仅要具有⼀流的科学素质，还要具有⼀流的⼈⽂素质。毕竟，早在3000年前，荷马(Homer)就提出过类似的问题。
In “The Odysy,” the beautiful nymph Calypso offers immortality to Odysus if he will stay onher island. After a fling with her, Odysus ultimately rejects the offer becau he miss hiswife, Penelope. He turns down godlike immortality to embrace suffering and death that areesntial to the human condition.
在《奥德赛》(The Odysy)中，美丽的仙⼥卡吕普索(Calypso)向奥德修斯(Odysus)许诺，只要留在她的岛上，他就可以长⽣不⽼。跟仙⼥有了⼀段风流韵事之后，奥德修斯最终拒绝了这个提议，因为他思念⾃⼰的妻⼦佩涅洛佩(Penelope)。他拒绝像神⼀样永⽣，选择⾯对⼈类必须⾯对的痛苦和死亡。
Likewi, when the President’s Council on Bioethics issued its report in 2002, “Human Cloningand Human Dignity,” it cited scientific journals but also Ernest Hemingway’s “The Old Man andthe Sea.” Even science
depends upon the humanities to shape judgments about ethics, limitsand values.
同样地，总统⽣物伦理委员会(President's Council on Bioethics)2002年发布题为《⼈的克隆与⼈类尊严》(Human Cloning and Human Dignity)的报告时，既援引了科学杂志的内容，也提到了欧内斯特·海明威(Ernest Hemingway)的《⽼⼈与海》(The Old Man and the Sea)。即便事关科学，在做出涉及伦理、限度和价值等⽅⾯的判断时，也要借助⼈⽂学科。
Third, wherever our careers lie, much of our happiness depends upon our interactions withtho around us, and there’s some evidence that literature nurtures a richer emotionalintelligence.
第三，不论从事什么职业，我们的幸福在很⼤程度上都取决于我们如何跟周围的⼈交流。有⼀些证据表明，涉猎⽂学有助于提⾼情商。
Science magazine published five studies indicating that rearch subjects who read literaryfiction did better at asssing the feelings of a person in a photo than tho who readnonfiction or popular fiction. Literature ems to offer lessons in human nature that help usdecode the world around us and be better friends.
在《科学》杂志上发表过的五项研究表明，⽐起阅读⾮虚构类作品或者通俗⼩说的研究对象，阅读⽂艺⼩说的研究对象能够更好地评估照⽚上的⼈处于何种情绪之中。⽂学似乎提供了与⼈的本质有关的课程，帮助我们解读周围的世界，帮助我们更好地与⼈相处。
Literature also builds bridges of understanding. Toni Morrison has helped all Americaunderstand African-American life. Jhumpa Lahiri illuminated immigrant contradictions. KhaledHosini opened windows on Afghanistan.
⽂学还可以架设起理解的桥梁。托妮·莫利森(Toni Morrison)帮助整个美国理解⾮裔美国⼈的⽣活。裘帕·拉希⾥(Jhumpa Lahiri)阐明了移民群体⾯对的种种⽭盾。卡勒德·胡赛尼(Khaled Hosini)打开了观察阿富汗的窗⼝。
In short, it makes eminent n to study coding and statistics today, but also history andliterature.
总⽽⾔之，在当下这个时代，学习编程和统计学固然意义重⼤，学习历史和⽂学同样⼗分重要。
John Adams had it right when he wrote to his wife, Abigail, in 1780: “I must study Politicks andWar that my sons may have liberty to study Mathematicks and Philosophy. My sons ought tostudy Mathematicks and Philosophy, Geography, natural History and Naval Architecture,navigation, Commerce and Agriculture, in order to give their Children a right to study Painting,Poetry, Musick, Architecture, Statuary, Tapestry and Porcelaine.”
1780年，约翰·亚当斯(John Adams)在给妻⼦的⼀封信⾥写道：“我必须修习政治学与战争学，才能让
我们的后代拥有修习数学和哲学的⾃由；我们的后代必须修习数学、哲学、地理学、博物学、造船学、航海学、商学及农学，才能让他们的后代拥有修习绘画、诗歌、⾳乐、建筑、雕刻、绣织和瓷艺的权利。”这话⼀点没错。
