Grace Brennan Brennan 1

UCWR 110

Dr. Hastings

6 December 2018

The Inclusion of the Humanities in STEM

In modern-day society people expect everything to be advanced, high-tech, and fast; from

food to phone service, everything and everyone is expected to be high-paced. Some might think

it is better to get it done fast than to get it done right. The iPhone has come out with a new model

almost every other year since 2007, Honda creates a new model of their four most popular cars

every year, and there are “some sort of [macOS] update every 56.2 days” (Carey)(Useless

Analysis)(Honda). With everything developing so quickly, there is no time to stop and think

about how these developments may affect the world in a moral and ethical way rather than just

thinking about convenience. What happens when you apply this theory of fast pace to people?

No one person is the same, and no one person develops at the same pace of another. Teenagers

are asked to choose a career after only 4 years of high school and if one even thinks they want to

be an upper level professional like a doctor, engineer, lawyer, or PhD of any kind, they have to

decide before their junior year of high school. How can one be expected to choose a lifelong

career without having the education within Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

(STEM) as well as the humanities to do so? Society must slow down enough to think about the

necessary involvement of ethics in the high paced STEM society. Within the monumental growth

of technology, science, and engineering a discussion of ethics and humanities is key for keeping

the world in a stable social and environmental condition. Within the concepts of robots and

similar technological devices such as self-driving cars, it is necessary to create ethical questions
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in order to determine the moral certainty behind the development. Ethics within the humanities is

also a contributing factor in education. The humanities must exist alongside STEM programs not

only for the moral and ethical contributions, but also to design a well-rounded education system

that can sufficiently develop the minds of young adults. In this way, they may have a clearer and

educated idea of the career path they want to live out.

“Robots, Ethics and Language” discusses the implementation of a complex decision-

making process being built into robots, which are also known as ‘automated informational

technology (IT) systems.’ (Björk 227). This article describes an intriguing proposal of building

life-like robots. However, this creation requires a series of ethical questions. How can we trust

the robots to make what we consider to be “the right” decisions? (Björk) Robots could create an

easier everyday lifestyle by handling the simple tasks of life such as folding laundry or doing the

dishes. IT systems may also be indispensable in certain areas of medicine, such as providing

physical and psychological care to the elderly, as mentioned in the article (Björk). The ethical

issue behind these systems arises from the technology being required to make choices that are

usually made by well-developed human intellect.

The article discusses the requirements behind creating IT systems and the idea of

focusing “on [the] how, not on [the] what” of the decision process in order to apply it to the IT

systems (Björk 271). IT systems, such as self-driving cars, and more enhanced technological

devices are great examples of why technology cannot exist without the humanities, moreover,

ethics. The article suggests that ethical decision-making can “indeed be incorporated into IT
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6 December 2018

systems” (Björk). This statement is undoubtedly conceivable in light of the outstanding growth

in technology from 1990-2000 alone (Hughes). However, the question that needs to come into

play is: should we allow these machines to make the moral and ethical decisions that are of

“option and choice” and involve individual opinions? (Björk 270). This question within the

technology section of STEM is one of many examples of why the humanities must be a critical

component within the world of STEM; it cannot successfully exist without the humanities.

The Springer Science and Business Media B. V.s’ article “Introducing Survival Ethics

into Engineering, Education, and Practice” propose rationales behind the advancement of ethics

over time within educational systems as well as career paths and organizational practices. Along

with the article “Robots Ethics and Language”, The Springer Science article presents the alliance

of STEM and the humanities as an enhancement of the sciences. The article first discusses the

true meaning behind being ethical, or in other words, to have a basic set of values in which guide

you to the ‘good’ or ‘bad’(Verharen C.). They dig into survival as the “precondition[al]” value

insofar as “to be good is first to be,” ultimately proposing that humans need certain “unassailable

goods” in order to survive (Verharen C.). The article alludes to the argument of whether survival

ethics should be the leading source of values to be considered when incorporating ethics into

modern technology and science. The article claims that “the values like survival, freedom, and

love spring from desire,” in which the article describe as natural facts within humans (Verharen

C.). The desires behind any ‘ethical principal’ are purely dependent on culture and personal

motivation. The article mentions that in early Africa and Eurasia the ‘ethical principles’ derived
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from “conditions necessary for human survival and flourishing” (Verharen). Furthermore, the

article discusses the “key question [of] whether enough humans believe that a primary mission of

our lives is to pass life on to our successors in better condition than we have received this gift”

(Verharen). Verharen mentions that if it is a fundamental calling, then the growth of technology

must deeply consider the ethical commission necessary for the well-being of the earth. The ethics

and morals of an individual and community, which categorize within the humanities, are a

constitutional obligation conducive to the further development of technology and science within

the field of STEM. I argue that value we place on ethics and morals being incorporated into

developing technology must not be forgotten when considering the further development of our

education system.

The argument of the humanities being incorporated among the development of

technology and science involves a crucial truth that makes a bold statement; ethics is necessary

for the moral satisfaction of our individual society and the environment. However, this argument

and truth not only applies to the individual, society and the environment, but also to the

education system. I think students need to be equally educated in all aspects of life before

expanding their life. It is necessary that education involve the means of sciences and math, but

they then must equally involve the means of ethics and social skills. The debate over which

categories should be prioritized in an education system, STEM verses the humanities, is the

foundation of the argument in Steeles journal and essay.

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6 December 2018

Astrid Steele’s journal, “Troubling STEM: making a case for an ethics/ STEM

partnership” is a first-hand discussion of the inclusion of ethics, more so humanities as a whole,

into the world of STEM from the teaching and learning perspectives. Steele’s main points in his

journal expand firstly through the history of why America in particular has had a, more or less,

recent dive into pushing the educational development of STEM. The history of this endeavor, as

Steele states, strives from the “2009 PISA study” in which “US ranked 17th in international

science and math assessments” which was exceedingly low in comparison to Japan and other

countries, such as Sweden and China (Steele 359). He mentions that America is seen as a “world

leader” in political aspects which has served as motivation “to improve STEM education as a

means to maintaining the nation’s position as a global leader” (Steele 359). Steele, reflecting

from his own personal experience, continues to connect the argument of STEM verses the

humanities to education by “ask[ing] the questions: What are our students being prepared for?

What are they being inspired for?” (Steele 362). These intriguing questions are the captivating

pre-requisites of the argument within this research essay.

Including humanities in education is supported by the concepts of a liberal education.

According to David D. Corey, the purpose of liberal education is to “set us free”, but not of

“physical, economic or political freedom”, rather intellectual freedom (Corey). Corey’s theory is

similar to Nancy Bugwid, who explains that the “two aspects of recent learning-science theory

and research about the nature of knowledge that are most important to liberal education reform

are deep learning and adoptive expertise” (Bugwid). Liberal education is meant to “[awake]
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curiosity – perspective taking and the development of critical thinking,” within communication

(Bugwid). The humanities are the fundamentals of a well-rounded, liberal education that allows

people to focus not on “what [they] see …[but] how [they] see” (Corey). One cannot have the

qualities of a liberal education without having an open heart and mind (Corey).

The humanities must be the leader in this liberal education for the humanities are what

teach students to learn rather than memorize as mentioned in Christopher Longo’s article

“Fostering Creativity or Teaching to the Test? Implications of State Testing on the Delivery of

Science Instruction” (Longo). Students and young adults cannot be expected to choose a career

from an educational background that does not include the humanities. I suggest that the

humanities are deeply involved in the making of a liberally educated person and that the two are

interchangeable. liberal education involving the humanities is arguably the best approach high

school students need in order to become fully educated on all labors before deciding on a career

path.

Around the ages of sixteen or seventeen, most high school students feel pressured to

commit to a career path that will supposedly fulfill their fractionally educated dreams. Students

must then decide on a major, which leads to a topic specific education. This often excludes room

for further exploration through elective classes. Steeles questions from his Journal “Troubling

STEM: making a case for an ethics/ STEM partnership”, “What are our students being prepared
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for? What are they being inspired for?” perfectly depicts this issue (Steele 362). Teachers must

think about the greater causality that occurs from a single sided education.

Students and children need to experience the humanities as a necessary means of

education and not as a secondary means that lies beneath STEM in the order of educational

hierarchy. Through the example of Sweden in the article “Learning by an Apprentice in

Sweden”, Magnus Fjellström and Per Kristmansson discuss the benefits of an educational society

that utilizes apprenticeships. Neither right, nor wrong, the Swedish Apprenticeship Program is

“compris[ed] [of] a school based vocational education with some training in workplaces”

(Fjellström 630). The students in Sweden are exposed to many different types of job

opportunities and are able to see first-hand what these careers really include at an early age. The

Swedish Apprenticeship Program displays a clear view of the combination of both STEM and

the humanities. The students must participate in the jobs during their apprenticeship and use the

liberal education portion of the humanities to work within a community rather than just a

classroom (Fjellström). Students need to be familiarized with all different education and career

paths involving both STEM and the humanities with a combination of liberal education before

being expected to choose a career.

The argument of the importance of STEM verses the humanities in education is easily

resolved when looked at through examples. Life-like robots and self-driving cars cannot be made

without the careful consideration of ethics. Should robots be created to make their own choices?
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What if one is coded poorly and goes rogue? What about self-driving cars? Is it worth taking the

risk of one breaking down while driving and putting lives in danger? Do the positives outweigh

the negatives? These are all ethical, humanitarian questions that must be addressed within

STEM. The sciences cannot singularly exist without the humanities. The humanities, which

involves ethics, must be the guiding force within STEM. Not only must this coexistence of

STEM and the humanities exist within the development of technologies, but it is a major aspect

in education. With all of the world developing at such a fast pace people are being pressured to

pick a career at a very young age. Although it is possible to change a career, the pressures of

money and society prevent many students from doing so. Early education must involve hands on

learning experiences to develop a good idea of what one likes and dislikes, as it does in Sweden.

These hand-on experiences should be seen as the best combination of STEM and the humanities,

which creates a liberally educated person active within the community. Therefore, I argue that if

society is going to continue to develop at such a fast pace than students must be given the proper

co-curriculum involving STEM but driven by inquiry within the humanities.

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Works Cited

Budwig, Nancy. “The Learning Sciences and Liberal Education.” Change, vol. 45, no. 3, May 2013, pp.

40–48. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1080/00091383.2013.787271.http://flagship.luc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/lo

gin.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=87820958&site=ehost-live

Björk, Ingrid, and Iordanis Kavathatzopoulos. “Robots, Ethics and Language.” ACM SIGCAS

Computers and Society, vol. 45, no. 3, 2016, pp. 270–273.

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Life, 26 Nov. 2018, www.iphonelife.com/content/evolution-iphone-every-model-2007-2016.

Corey, David D. “Liberal Education: Its Conditions and Ends.” Perspectives on Political Science, vol.

42, no. 4, 2013, pp. 195–200.

http://flagship.luc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=

47735087&site=ehost-live
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Fjellström, Magnus, and Per Kristmansson. “Learning as an Apprentice in Sweden.”

Education Training, vol. 58, no. 6, 2016, pp. 629–642.

https://loyola-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-

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0113&context=PC&vid=01LUC&search_scope=Library_Collections&tab=default_tab&lang=en

_US

Hughes, Brian. “How Technology Is Rapidly Changing the Way Things Get Done Across Industries.”

Entrepreneur, Entrepreneur, 20 Jan. 2017, www.entrepreneur.com/article/288025.

Steele, Astrid. “Troubling STEM: Making a Case for an Ethics/STEM Partnership.” Journal of Science

Teacher Education, vol. 27, no. 4, June 2016, pp. 357–371. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s10972-016-

9463-6.

http://flagship.luc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=

115462908&site=ehost-live

Verharen, C., et al. “Introducing Survival Ethics into Engineering Education and Practice.” Science &

Engineering Ethics, vol. 19, no. 2, June 2013, pp. 599–623. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s11948-011-

9332-9.

http://flagship.luc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&A

N=87734293&site=ehost-live
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Longo, Christopher. “Fostering Creativity or Teaching to the Test? Implications of State Testing on the

Delivery of Science Instruction.” Clearing House, vol. 83, no. 2, Jan. 2010, pp. 54–57. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1080/00098650903505399.

http://flagship.luc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&A

N=47735087&site=ehost-live

“A Useless Analysis of MacOS (OS X) Release Dates.” The Robservatory, 10 Nov. 2018,

robservatory.com/a-useless-analysis-of-os-x-release-dates/.

“HONDA.” Autoevolution, www.autoevolution.com/honda/.