Liberal Arts or Sciences?

For those you interested,  here are the results of my one month survey on Liberal Arts vs. Sciences

EXPLANATION (you may skip to the survey results)

Those who took the survey were asked which they "consider intellectually inferior, science or Liberal Arts (or neither)?", and requested to explain in a few sentences their reason or argument for the choice. In addition they were asked to rank 10 subject areas according to importance (very important, fairly important, of average important, not that much important, and not at all important), their gender, and the closest approximation to their education level. Higher points were given for more importance and vice versa, to come up with the chart below. The criteria for importance was initially labeled out by me, but as someone brought to my attention, there is not enough to judge an area. Since each individual has different ways of judging something, I left for the respondents to decide what was important.

Take a look at the survey here if you are intereseted.

There were not as my responses to the survey as I had hoped there would be, and I lost a few as well because of a problem with my e-mail client. However, responses were interesting, and that is what counts.

I have not come up with many resources on things brought out by  the survey, but will in the next month or so. If you are interested, check back in this page or sign up for e-mail notification by me for site updates.

RESULTS

There were a total of 16 respondents, 10 of whom were male and the rest  female (I did not take into consideration transgender, but I guess I did not have to in such a small survey). Most of the respondents were in the age range of 18-25.

Respondent profiles

[] Education level (closest approximation)

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Importance of fields of study

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RESPONSES
Here are all the responses to the question "Which do you consider intellectually inferior, science or Liberal Arts (or neither)? Please explain in a few sentences your reason or argument for your choice."

"I think there are two types of intelligence. one is geared towards math and science and one is geared towards more creative things. However, there are individuals that are equally good at both. There are also those who are good at neither and hold more of a "street smarts" type intelligence. Which is basically more common sense and clear thinking. I don't think that people who are good at math and science are any more "intelligent" than those good at arts and such. Intelligence is really hard to measure anyways."

"Science is inferior to liberal arts. The scientific method is mechanistic. It does not rely on intellectual freedom or creativity, which are more difficult to attain than scientific knowledge."

"Neither. I do feel that science requires a more analytical and mathematic mind, which could be considered to mean it intellectually superior, but I don't think that the one is a function of the other."

"There is certainly no reason to judge either field as inherently superior. In fact, I think it is almost arbitrary for these fields to be considered so distinct."

"Neither; they are not in competition for superiority, it is that some minds are better maps for different terrain."

"Neither. Both are poles apart... there isn't a way to compare. Both require a different kind of intellectual knowledge."

"I like to think that both science and the arts takes the same amount of brains, if not different SIDES of the brain.  But then my gut takes over and says, "Science is for smart people, art is for people who can't hack it in science and math" I am an art student, and I feel that people think art is for flighty individuals."

"Science can explain the liberal arts but not vice-versa."

"They are connected so neither ...its strictly a matter of personal preference and therefore entirely up to the individual and his interests."

"Although most people are stronger in one discipline as opposed to the other, I think both are equally important. I believe there is a great deal of science in art, as well as the other way around."

"Neither. They really work on very different basis. Science on rationality, and the Liberal Arts on irrationality. They both work wonders in the respective fields they belong to, bringing about benefits to humanity in their own ways. One can live without the other, but an imbalance is hence created. The subjects, therefore, are connected in the sense that they help to strike a balance for our lives, though derived from polarities. Though they are not connected, but should nevertheless be studied together."

"The sciences are more important because they make you think.  One must use logic and clever reasoning to succeed in such a course.  In a liberal arts course, one must only reiterate what the instructor says to succeed (without learning anything useful).  Liberal arts courses are a waste of time especially for science and engineering majors.  Mandatory lib. Arts courses should not be thrown at us."

"I believe one without the other is disappointing."

"Science is intellectually inferior because it examines what already exists. Hence, it shows no importance in knowing the unknown."

"I believe they should be interwoven; neither is inferior.  With adequate, nay, extensive knowledge of science and liberal arts, both subjects make more sense.  Also in teaching, a firm grasp of science and liberal arts can enable you to reach more students."

"I'm not sure that I can consider one intellectually inferior. Everyone has their one tastes and certain things that they can do better than others. I believe that both stimulate people intellectually and I do not believe that one is inferior to the other in any way."

"Both science and Liberal Arts are equally important to study. Of course, the importance of each individual subject depends on one's field of study. But it is useful to have some knowledge in every field."

I would like to thank every person who took the time to respond to this survey. None of these were my thoughts, I simply wanted to know what others think on this topic and if they have given it consideration. Please e-mail me at online@mohammed.com with your comments, suggestions, and if you would like to be notified when I gather some net resources on this topic. If you know of any, please let me know.

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