A classical liberal arts education in the 21st century – does it still matter? Mount Liberty College thinks it does!
We are bombarded with these messages every day. And if you’re a student, it’s worse. With social media and a phone in everyone’s hand, these messages never end. They can be inspiring, terrifying, and even illogical—and mostly confusing—but one sure thing is that they are endless.
STEM jobs are necessary for society, a good job is important, AI will displace jobs, making good money is nice. However, there is one thing missing in these messages: any mention of a higher purpose in life, the real reason for our existence. Is life no more than training for a job while you are young and then working at that job until you retire? Is there nothing else?
AI might seem to be changing the world but what really changes the world are words and ideas. What really changes and defines us is not the job we have but the difference we make in the world. Two of our Mount Liberty students understand this:
We need to focus on what makes us human and what a computer can’t do. If we can add those skills to what computers can offer there are so many possibilities out there. (MB)
Computers allow us to be more human. They allow us to do the things that we do best so we should focus on those things because those are going to be the valuable things in the future. (MAB)
AI does not have to be the enemy of our jobs and definitely not the enemy of our lives. Let computers and AI do what they do best and we can do what human beings do best: create beauty in all its forms, care for and interact with others, and add meaning to our own lives and the lives of those around us. This is what a classical liberal arts education is all about: the meaning that brings happiness and makes life worth living. Past the computers, past the work and the monotony of a job is the beauty and passion and creativity in each of us.