The Heart of the Matter

A report from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences on the importance of the humanities and social sciences in a democratic republic. It articulates the need for both outlines strategies for improving civic education:

The nation’s founders understood that their experiment in republican government—a government bound by law and rooted in the consent of the governed—depends on citizens who can think critically, understand their own history, and give voice to their beliefs while respecting the views of others. These qualities are not born, but taught, beginning with our youngest children. In fact, our first three presidents emphasized general education as an indispensable component of future prosperity.

A general education is just as important today, and it is just as clear that it must include the humanities and the social sciences. The humanities—including the study of languages, literature, history, jurisprudence, philosophy, comparative religion, ethics, and the arts—are disciplines of memory and imagination, telling us where we have been and helping us envision where we are going. The social sciences—including anthropology, archaeology, economics, political science, sociology, and psychology—are disciplines of behavioral, interpersonal, and organizational processes, employing empirical and scientific methods to reveal patterns in the lives of real people.

Together, they provide an intellectual framework and context for understanding and thriving in a changing world, and they connect us with our global community. When we study these subjects, we learn not only what but how and why. The humanities and social sciences teach us to question, analyze, debate, evaluate, interpret, synthesize, compare evidence, and communicate—skills that are critically important in shaping adults who can become independent thinkers.