It looks like my teaching career will soon be ending. I have always received highest marks on my evaluations (from both students and administrators) but the pool of students wanting to take non-required philosophy classes has been shrinking over the past two decades, and colleges are responding to market pressures. Teaching the liberal arts has become a luxury our family cannot afford, and not enough Christians are seeing it as a genuine ministry option worthy of support.
I am depressed but not surprised. As our culture increasingly has grown more and more experiential, pragmatic, and less interested in the reality of truth, beauty and goodness, philosophy has become more and more marginalized. Now only first-tier institutions can afford to offer it as a major. Besides technology and the sciences, education, business and psychology are the breadwinners for higher education. There are still a few English and History majors around--they have always outnumbered the philosophers--but (with great sadness) I predict even their days are numbered.
John W. Garder was president of the Carnegie Foundation, Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare under LBJ, and helped create the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. In his book, Excellence (Norton, 1984, p.102), Gardner points out that the society that scorns excellence in plumbing and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy will find that “neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water.” In the Land of the Blind, the one-eyed man may be king; but if the blind think they can get along just fine thank you without sight, then the one-eyed man will be seen as a freak and left to starve.
Every once in a while there are articles in newsmagazines that challenge my cynicism and tempt me to hope that I am mistaken. But as long as 65% of med school applicants major in biology or another physical science it seems like it will be a while before I can take their reassurances seriously.
So I will begin searching for a job. At my age (53) and without accounting or medical skills, there will be fewer options. I may have to bite the bullet, admit that "if you can't fight 'em you gotta join 'em," and go get an M.B.A. After all, I brought this on myself. No one forced me to teach, muchless teach philosophy. It was my own choice, in response to what I understood the Lord to be calling me to do. So it will be interesting to see what God has in store for me, personally. Again, I want my prayer to be the same as Mary's:
"I am the Lord's servant; May it be to me as You have said."
(Credit: The illustration above is by John Collier)
I am depressed but not surprised. As our culture increasingly has grown more and more experiential, pragmatic, and less interested in the reality of truth, beauty and goodness, philosophy has become more and more marginalized. Now only first-tier institutions can afford to offer it as a major. Besides technology and the sciences, education, business and psychology are the breadwinners for higher education. There are still a few English and History majors around--they have always outnumbered the philosophers--but (with great sadness) I predict even their days are numbered.
John W. Garder was president of the Carnegie Foundation, Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare under LBJ, and helped create the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. In his book, Excellence (Norton, 1984, p.102), Gardner points out that the society that scorns excellence in plumbing and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy will find that “neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water.” In the Land of the Blind, the one-eyed man may be king; but if the blind think they can get along just fine thank you without sight, then the one-eyed man will be seen as a freak and left to starve.
Every once in a while there are articles in newsmagazines that challenge my cynicism and tempt me to hope that I am mistaken. But as long as 65% of med school applicants major in biology or another physical science it seems like it will be a while before I can take their reassurances seriously.
So I will begin searching for a job. At my age (53) and without accounting or medical skills, there will be fewer options. I may have to bite the bullet, admit that "if you can't fight 'em you gotta join 'em," and go get an M.B.A. After all, I brought this on myself. No one forced me to teach, muchless teach philosophy. It was my own choice, in response to what I understood the Lord to be calling me to do. So it will be interesting to see what God has in store for me, personally. Again, I want my prayer to be the same as Mary's:
"I am the Lord's servant; May it be to me as You have said."
(Credit: The illustration above is by John Collier)
1 comment:
Will miss you Beth, thank you for all the time in class and out of class spent in good conversation. DC
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