Gloria Origgi - Who is Afraid of Humanities?

Date: 

Thursday, October 17, 2013, 5:00pm to 7:00pm

Location: 

Science Center 469

ABSTRACT: Humanities in these days are facing a major crisis. The programs in art and sciences have been nearly cut away from from school/universities programs in virtually all countries of the world. Their methods are considered "unscientific", their results useless, the value they put forward old fashioned or unfit for the contemporary technological and business-oriented society. A recent scientist manifesto published on the New Republic by Steven Pinker is a plea to humanists for converting to scientific method. In a reply I have written to his article, I discuss a list of irreducible differences between science and humanities, although I am deeply convinced that an full understanding of the world needs both.

Pinker's Article: http://www.newrepublic.com/article/114127/science-not-enemy-humanities

Origgi's Article: http://berlinbooks.org/brb/2013/09/the-humanities-are-not-your-enemy/