1001: Ideas That Changed the Way We Think

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These days, it is not uncommon to hear commentators on higher education accuse those who spend time studying the humanities in college or university of being foolish. The idea that a person might take courses in philosophy, psychology, religion, the arts, sociology, or politics strikes many as simply ludicrous. They argue that the whole point of education is to get a job, and that to get a job a person needs to have a practical skill or possess a body of readily applicable knowledge. These goals make the study of “big ideas” in the humanities or social sciences at best ludicrous and at worst pointless.

As you begin to browse through 1001 Ideas That Changed The Way We Think, one of the most important things that you realize is just how utterly wrong are those people who see the value of education only in terms of the career opportunities it creates. A cursory look through this book soon makes it evident that the discoveries, inventions, and findings that make the most difference in our lives are just as likely to emanate from the humanities and social sciences side of the intellectual landscape as they are from technology, science, and engineering. In fact, the latter are only likely to flourish when firmly embedded in a wider context of big ideas that allow them to do so.

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