I must study politics and war so that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics, philosophy, geography, naval architecture, navigation, commerce and agriculture in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry and porcelain.
John Adams, US diplomat & politician (1735 – 1826)
This is a pretty striking statement; John Adams saw the Arts as a central endeavour, an end to which other disciplines are merely means. Now you don’t have to agree entirely to see that he is onto something here; and interestingly the uber-pragmatic Singapore has over the last few years been saying much the same thing. The Arts scene here has been exploding, and there is a clear recognition that the Arts make a massive contribution to the life of a country.
In our own back yard, the recent and rather magnificent Jesus Christ Superstar brought home to me, once again, just how important the Arts for us too. It’s not just about groups of students having the courage and determination to perform for their community (important though that is); it’s about a broader recognition that there are some ideas that cannot simply be said, but must be demonstrated. Simple facts can be stated; but complex human affairs are not facts, and we need the Arts to express them without closing them into something they are not.
Philosopher Martha Nussbaum argues that we need views “… that emphasise the world’s surprising variety, its complexity and mysteriousness, its flawed and imperfect beauty; [these views] cannot be adequately stated in the language of conventional prose, but only in a language and in forms more complex, more allusive.. ” The arts – music, theatre, film, visual arts and others – are just such language, and unless we ensure our children can speak, or at least hear these languages, we will have limited their experiences needlessly.
This last paragraph may seem remote from the day-to-day business of life, and from the task at hand for many at UWCSEA of choosing the subjects to study next year. But it is precisely at times when difficult decisions are to be made that we need to look about the parapet and remind ourselves of what is really important. So when making subject choices, choose artfully.
