It has become increasingly popular to dismiss the value of a liberal arts education. Common arguments claim it fails to produce hard skills and encourages students to discuss frivolous matters. A liberal arts education, however, matters more than you think. It is essential to be an educated member of a democratic society who can think for themselves. 

Passion, curiosity and courage are essential ingredients in my experience as a student in the School of Liberal Arts. I go to class not just because I care about my grades or the degree I am pursuing, but to be introduced to new concepts, probed to think deeper by my professors and challenged by my peers. 

Unlike an engineering or a business education, a liberal arts education doesn’t train students for one specific role. Rather, it helps students develop a set of tools to help them think not just about the problem in front of them, but about the next problem ahead. 

Author and cultural critic bell hooks authored “Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom” in 2009, in which she explains how critical dialogue and community engagement can dismantle systemic issues like racism, classism and sexism. 

I was first introduced to hooks in an introductory gender and sexuality studies class my freshman year, and have returned to her writings time after time. She warns against a culture of anti-intellectualism that discourages critical engagement. 

With artificial intelligence on the rise, this feels truer than ever. However, the liberal arts are the antidote; they equip students with skills that last a lifetime. 

One of the major distinctions I see, even just among Tulanians studying different subjects, is that only some view thinking as action and actively listening as imperative. 

As I approach graduation and consider the magnitude of what my degrees in philosophy and gender and sexuality studies have given me, what I’ll carry with me isn’t a list of technical skills, but rather a love for learning and questioning, engagement with current events and the ability to write and communicate with confidence. 

Former CEO of Goldman Sachs, Lloyd Blankfein, echoed my sentiment in a recent Vanity Fair piece. Reflecting on his career, Blankfein spoke fondly of his choice to major in government in college. 

Blankfield argued that to succeed in a career, you need to become a complete person — and a liberal arts education is the best way to do that. Further, he said that the undergraduate years are an incredible opportunity to “make yourself uncomfortable in a way that can help make you more curious and interesting.” Knowledge of culture and history are good for any career.

If my argument has yet to resonate with you, consider some of the famous individuals with liberal arts backgrounds whose contributions to society have been nothing less than instrumental: Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Jobs and Conan O’Brien. Even our very own university president, Mike Fitts, received a Bachelor of Arts. 

If the humanities and social sciences still seem frivolous, I urge you to consider how democratic nations have come to be. They would not exist or sustain without an understanding of human nature, politics or morality. If we cannot process the current state of the world, how are we meant to improve it? 

Civics, communications and community engagement need liberal arts students and teachers to keep societies and governments afloat. The humanities are also necessary to keep up with rapid technology advancements, such as AI, and the implications they have on us at all levels. 

Above all, a liberal arts education provides a process for learning how to learn and create.