Everyone should study the liberal arts

In 1780, the U.S. Congress sent John Adams to France in order to begin negotiations with Britain to secure an end to the Revolutionary War. One afternoon, after spending the day walking through gardens and palaces, he sat down to write his wife a letter. He wanted to describe everything he saw, he told her, but there just wasn’t time.

Here’s how he explained it.

“I must study Politicks and War that my sons may have liberty to study Mathematicks and Philosophy. My sons ought to study Mathematicks and Philosophy…in order to give their Children a right to study Painting [and] Poetry.”

It’s a relatable feeling. Who doesn’t hope that their children’s reach surpasses their own grasp?

However, I think Adams was wrong. Everybody deserves to study painting and poetry.

Today, as the reading wars become the history wars, it seems particularly important to define and defend the liberal arts. So, here’s a definition. The liberal arts include a study of history with an emphasis on primary sources, a study of language arts with an emphasis on literature, and a study of sciences with an emphasis on the scientific method. In a liberal arts education, students are exposed to diverse thinkers, ideas, and perspectives.

Here’s a defense. Put simply, the liberal arts work. A study from Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce finds that over the course of a career, a liberal arts education is remarkably practical, providing a median return on investment 40 years after enrollment that approaches $1 million.

Finally, it’s worth remembering that John Adams changed his mind, too. His time in France was a disaster. The French found him abrasive and abrupt. Adams eventually moved on to the Netherlands in 1781. He took a softer approach and secured a 12 million dollar loan which helped America win the war. While he was there, he wrote his son some advice on how to pass the time.

To one who has a Taste, the Poets serve to fill up Time which would otherwise pass in Idleness, Languor, or Vice. You will never be alone with a Poet in your Pocket.

The son? Future U.S. President John Quincy Adams.