STEM is incredibly valuable, but if we want the best innovators we must teach the arts

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/wp/2014/09/05/stem-is-incredibly-valuable-but-if-we-want-the-best-innovators-we-must-teach-the-arts/

But STEM leaves out a big part of the picture. “It misses the fact that having multiple perspectives are an invaluable aspect of how we learn to become agile, curious human beings,” Maeda said. “The STEM ‘bundle’ is suitable for building a Vulcan civilization, but misses wonderful irrationalities inherent to living life as a human being and in relation to other human beings.”

A foundation in STEM education is exceptional at making us more efficient or increasing speed all within set processes, but it’s not so good at growing our curiosity or imagination. Its focus is poor at sparking our creativity. It doesn’t teach us empathy or what it means to relate to others on a deep emotional level. Singapore and Japan are two great examples. “[They] are looked to as exemplar STEM nations, but as nations they suffer the ability to be perceived as creative on a global scale.” Maeda said.

Is the United States completely misinformed and heading down the wrong track? Not entirely. Science, technology, engineering and math are great things to teach and focus on, but they can’t do the job alone. In order to prepare our students to lead the world in innovation, we need to focus on the creative thought that gives individuals that innovative edge.

[niyad]

1. never fails to disgust me that the arts are not considered valuable, despite the studies

that show exactly that.

but then, creative people are probably not so easily led as the sheeples.

[RadicalGeek]

2. ALSO

Not everyone has the brain for STEM.

Some people are more artistic, athletic, etc.

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5. I wish I had the brain for it. I wish -- for my life -- that I did.

I've always been a much better writer than programmer or maths person. In fact I can't do much in the way of maths at all. What this means is that I'm probably going to end up a sandwich "artist" at Subway. Writing is not a "job" that generates money in this age of the Internet. People do freelance stuff and blogging, but even then they're mostly cobbling together $1 "buy me a coffee" donations into their PayPal accounts and whatever pennies on the dollar they get from spammy Google AdSense links. Publishing companies aren't interested in newbie nobodies; they're only interested in ghostwritten memoirs from Office cast members and whatever Lena Dunham is currently musing about.

Teach the arts all you want, but not at the expense of job skills for the 21st century. Nobody cares about some dumb thesis on the Canterbury Tales or symbolism of mental illness in Van Gogh's art and Beethoven's sonatas. The arts are wonderful but they're not going to put bread on your table. For that you need a STEM job if you're not already loaded with dough.

[enki23]

3. The STEM acronym is sorta outdated anyway.

Scientific career choices, as a general rule, aren't exactly looking up lately.

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7. But the market is just booming for performance artists and historians?

"History" these days is called I Love the '80s on VH1. "English literature" is Fifty Shades of Grey. "Art" is Photoshop memes. "Music" is whatever Top 40 hipster pap is popular on YouTube. "Social sciences" is Facebook tweaking your emotions and giving you the sads.

Meanwhile, some guy just started a "private Facebook" called Ello that's valued in the hundreds of millions. I don't see those kind of returns for sociology majors or ballet dancers. You're not going to have money to buy food if you bother with this intellectual fluff at the expense of 21st-century skills.

[MisterP]

4. hey, nobody flies on only one wing! up with interdisciplinarity! nt

[Ampersand Unicode]

6. Fuck liberal arts. Bring back shop class.

I have a whole list of bookmarked articles in a folder called "Liberal Arts Sucks Donkey Balls." Don't bother with Shakespeare unless you want to be asking people "To want fries with that or not to want fries with that?"

Been there, done that (graduating in '15). Probably going to be a bum the rest of my life as a result. The poets are as dead as Robin Williams, and the only "books" people read anymore are Us Weekly and the SI swimsuit issue. The jobs are in computers, period. Not ballet dancing or medieval history. Honestly, I'm a product of a (state-U) liberal-arts education, and all I can say is that I'd much rather my mind go hungry if my stomach could be full.