Today in class we talked
about the value of a liberal arts education. Later while reflecting on class, I
recalled something from Western Heritage, obviously a key piece of Carthage's
liberal arts program, that I think ties in well to the subject matter of the
course as well as our discussion today.
While I'm sure many
remember, I will give a little bit of background. Rene Descartes, a
mathematician and philosopher wrote Discourse on Method. In
this work, Descartes rejects everything he knows with the goal of discovering
truth through reason alone. Given his math background, Descartes
structured Discourse on Method in an almost Euclidean fashion.
In order to reach true knowledge, he lays out rules for how to approach the
process, starting with the things that are the easiest to know and going from
there to "rebuild the house" that is his world around him. To me this
sounds like the structure of a Proposition where one might start with a line
and construct several other shapes off of it in order to prove a concept.
Anyway, when reading
Descartes' Discourse on Method freshman year, I came across a
quote that I still think about from time to time (but I'm certain I'm using it
out of context, so I apologize in advance!). In Part III, when deciding how to
live life while simultaneously doubting the world around him, Descartes says he
ought to behave like travelers when:
...they have lost their way
in a forest, ought not to wander from side to side, far less remain in one
place, but proceed constantly towards the same side in as straight a line as
possible...for in this way, if they do not exactly reach the point they desire,
they will come at least in the end to some place that will probably be
preferable to the middle of a forest.
I
thought of this quote when we were talking about why we chose Carthage and the
liberal arts experience. In my semesters being undecided, I would think back to
this quote to remind myself to just choose a major because it’s better than
getting stuck wandering in a forest. However, several professors and others I
trust have told me something along the lines of ‘what you get your
undergraduate degree in matters less than you think’ especially given my vague
life goals. I do know better than to interpret that advice as meaning my major
doesn’t matter at all, so after hearing it I have been able to embrace learning
across other areas of study and apply what I learn to my life instead of
worrying so much about specializing.
The possibility of us humans not ever actually knowing anything due our dependence on sensory experience kind of decreases the importance of striving for success through any given career. However, an individual can still make the most of educational opportunities despite any possible truth that might exist in that situation. Therefore, I support the movement of learning in various fields of study as a result of that positive outlook on life.
ReplyDeleteI would agree with that advice that you've been given. The exact choice of a major is not as important as we might assume. I majored and got my PhD in mathematics. Today I find myself mainly doing computer science and data analytics. Once we have a basis down, it isn't so hard to "reinvent" yourself as needed. The world is constantly changing, so we need to be adapting anyway.
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