IT is evident that there is a conscious or unconscious neglect of the study of humanities which is the umbrella term for the study of religion, philosophical sciences, history, literature and liberal arts among others.
There is a dearth in the allocation of funds for scholarships, research grants and publications from the public and private sector in Malaysia and emerging Asian countries for the study of humanities.
What many do not realise is that the neglect of proper support for the study of humanities in higher education will be disastrous for the future advancement and wellbeing of our societies.
It could result in the rise of suicide, depression, anxiety and mental illness cases and today they are clearly an indication that millions of people lack substantive meaning that could inspire or strengthen their souls in the face of existential challenges.
Thus, if we do not do more to alleviate the issue, even our best talents will flounder and the general population will be demoralised or, more disconcertingly, dehumanised.
So much so that one of the world’s leading Confucian experts, Tu Weiming, says, “At present, how to be a real human being has become an urgent problem for humanity”.
In addition, millions of professionals globally are becoming disillusioned with the senseless rat race in their working lives — which led the World Health Organisation (WHO) to declare that “stress” will be the health epidemic of the 21st century.
Interestingly, however, William Damon, professor of education at Stanford University argues that, “The biggest problem growing up today is not actually stress… it’s meaninglessness”.
Yet in this existing scenario, the humanities is being neglected — where is the logic in this? This state of affairs is perhaps due to the pestilential winds of secularisation as a philosophical programme that compels us to think that there is a dichotomy chiefly between knowledge and implementation, and subsequently between the humanities and the more “pragmatic” or “practical” sciences.
We should take heed of a remark by Glenn Seaborg, an American Nobel prize winner, who famously argued in 1965: “We cannot afford to drift physically, morally or aesthetically in a world in which the current moves so rapidly — perhaps toward an abyss. Science and technology are providing us with the means to travel swiftly. But what course do we take? This is the question that no computer can answer.”
It must be remembered however, when we use this term “humanities”, that it is only because we are making the distinction in the Western sense since we have inherited the Western way of looking at the sciences and the humanities.
But in reality, in the world view of Islam, if we speak about the sciences as being the definition of truth; language is part of science, history is part of science and philosophy is also part of science.
But if nowadays we are limiting science only to physical nature, and then consider philosophy, language and music as part of humanities, and not part of science, what is going to happen?
Historically, it was the humanities that inspired human beings in the scientific and practical domains that enabled proper use of the intelligence to subdue the bestial self.
Royal Professor Ungku Aziz called on our decision makers to pay attention to this matter in 1991: “The study of literature and mankind’s heritage should not be forgotten even though Malaysia is gearing towards becoming a scientific and progressive society in the next century… man cannot live by science alone as he needs cultural nourishment for his mind.
“We have examples of advanced nations where scientific advancement is balanced by an education system that encourages learners to appreciate the great works of the past and present and to be familiar with at least a portion of the creative works and discourses of mankind through time and across the globe,” Ungku Aziz said.
In other words, it was the humanities that enabled us to be truly human and advanced — far from being a luxury at the cost of pragmatic concerns as commonly perceived. The government should consider establishing the National Endowment for the Humanities to support scholars, students and organisations who are studying, researching, translating and publishing works that contribute to the intellectual and cultural life of the country.
This National Endowment Fund for the Humanities should be advised by a council of learned men and women who have proven their worth in the domain of humanities — perhaps every major university should establish a humanities council like Princeton University’s Humanities Council.
It is the moral duty of the private sector to apportion their wealth towards this Endowment Fund for the Humanities or directly fund professorial chairs, scholars or publications related to the humanities — in order of priority and significance.
The universities should restore the dignity and centrality of centres related to the humanities — it is these centres that will enable universities to be truly “universal” in outlook.
The writer is senior research officer, Centre for Economics and Social Studies, Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (IKIM)