Inside the Mind of the Rutgers Professor, Part V: “L”iberal arts

“L”iberal arts

The average Rutgers student doesn’t care about wisdom or truth. He cares about what he can do with his degree. Rutgers Philosophy of Mind professor Colin McGinn, one of the most respected philosophers in the world, advised a prospective undergraduate in philosophy last year to avoid going getting a graduate degree in philosophy, because, as he stated, there’s “nothing he can do” with a doctoral degree.

But without the great revelations, epics and philosophies from Plato, Aristotle, etc. (things some professors would consider prejudice) as a natural part of our perspective, a career in a field such as finance or law has no meaning. Ask a student in any field, what he thinks about spirituality, relationships with others or the human condition, and he will recite quotes off internet websites, or a bit of pop psychology from a movie or a gossip column. If a student can say something of importance, it is due to his dedicated reading outside the classroom.

NJO: Originally printed in the September 2005 issue of The Centurion.