Griffith Review: Ways of Seeing

For their first issue of 2011, the prestigious literary journal tackles the academy head-on. In the lead essay, John Armstrong, Philosopher-in-Residence at Melbourne Business school, presents a compelling case for radical reform in our universities’ teaching of the humanities.

In a discussion led by Peter Clarke, with Glyn Davis and Julianne Schultz, Armstrong argues the need for “artistic and academic communicators”. He asks us to consider the shape of a culture that was “serious in its ideas, and just and fair in its assessment of arguments,” that was also willing to compete for the prominence and value of these things. He also toys the prospect of “tricking people into reading Plato”.

Schultz highlights the absence of a humanities perspective — drawn from lived, human experience — in contemporary political issues (such as climate change and refugees). Observing a disparity between how we talk about the humanities and “every other major branch of knowledge”, Davis urges us to reconsider the value to our lives that the humanities can deliver, rather than assuming they hold intrinsic value.