
Why are we here? - Colleges ignore life's biggest questions, and we all pay the price - danw
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2007/09/16/why_are_we_here/
======
comatose_kid
I like how the article claims that the humanities have a better view of the
meaning of life...

"And in the process it has badly weakened the humanities, the disciplines with
the oldest and deepest connection to this question"

Why does 'oldest' == 'best'? And how can he claim 'deepest'? Cosmology or math
could certainly be reasonable contenders for this claim.

This article is flawed - college shouldn't exist to answer the 'meaning of
life question' - it teaches people to be better learners, and to follow their
interests.

But perhaps I missed something - I kind of stopped reading at that point.

------
queensnake
I've been looking at reading Robert Solomon's books, and video / audio course
on Existentialism. I've only read one book of his (on a very different
subject) but I can vouch that he's an in-depth, human writer who brings
literature, psychology and philosophy (and just plain common human experience)
to his writing.

But, though I've only read 2 of 5 pages of this piece, I think we're probably
falling apart a bit as a society, because we don't have values beyond money
and self. Which is strange, because all that disappears when you die. I think
people don't think about that, when they're in their most productive years.

------
falsestprophet
"They say that any program of this sort must rest on religious beliefs, which
have lost their status as a source of authority in higher education."

I suppose a religious person might think this.

