The White Hole of American Education


THE WHITE HOLE OF AMERICAN EDUCATION



Were  some American humanists as clever as they pretend to be, they would minimize their chanting about the crisis of crisis, begin "theorizing"  what is METHS OR THEMS,  and devote 70% of their annual conventions to formulating praxis which can be transformed into commendable and  fund-worthy pedagogy.  No one has to pity  the victim when the victim (in this case the lamenting humanist) has created necessary and sufficient conditions for blame. Endless white lies about  beauty and truth may generate decent poetry and a splinter of morality, but they have severely  limited value in efforts to lessen the barbarous acts, which in the language of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), erode "the inalienable rights to which all human beings regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status are inherently entitled to as human beings; the white lies of the humanities may assist in imagining calamities of Nature, but they are of questionable utility in producing operative strategies and tactics essential in managing calamities. Contrary to drylongso beliefs, the stale arguments in support of the humanities as we know them may authorize tragedy.

American education at every level is currently having an affair with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics(STEM). We need to question the wisdom of dismissing the humanities simply on the grounds of pragmatism, but we need to admit also that adding either Medicine or Humanities or both to STEM is a viable option. It is a waste of energy to sing sorrow songs for the humanities when we should lift our voices in support of actual interdisciplinarity.  Our scientists and humanists would do well to listen together  to talk about what is profitable in a future embrace of  Mathematics, Engineering, Technology, Humanities and Science (METHS).  The arguments Vera Tobin has made on behalf of cognition and narrative and those proposed by Rita Charon regarding narrative competence and medicine have genuine merit. Review those arguments through the lens of Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed.  We need robust discussions of what a new praxis and pedagogy for the 21st century might be and collaborations between humanists and scientists that transform ideas into actions. We need to drill the rot out of the white hole of American education and fill the cavity with praiseworthy and fund-worthy intelligence.

Jerry W. Ward, Jr.                             July 9, 2018


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