For years, it has seemed as if the future belongs to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). STEM degrees are treated as golden tickets to a successful career, while literature, history, and art are dismissed as impractical. The message that these subjects are optional — nice, but not necessary — is not only wrong, but also dangerous.

The Cold War is a major cause of the current bias against humanities. After the Soviet Union launched their satellite, Sputnik, in 1957, the United States feared they would fall behind in technological developments. They responded with the National Defense Education Act, which increased federal funding to math and science education. Innovation was framed as patriotism and humanities were appreciated in the background.

This bias is still visible today. The stereotypes are cliche: the “rich tech-bro” in Silicon Valley versus the “starving artist” in a cramped apartment. But they do reveal a saddening truth about where our priorities lie as a society.

It seems as if every time a student plans on majoring in the humanities they are faced with the question of what they will “do” with their degree, as though ethics, writing, and communication lack measurable value. 

Yet every profession benefits from lessons learned through the humanities. Engineers must understand the communities of those who will use their infrastructure. Doctors have to interpret patients’ stories, not just their lab results. Leaders in every field rely on empathy, curiosity, and communication to be successful.

At the same time, it often seems like technology advances faster than morality can keep up.  Artificial intelligence is already reshaping creativity and labor. Ironically, our society has never needed humanities more. 

Dr. Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park famously warned: “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.”This does not only foreshadow the end of the movie, it is also a warning about the world we are building right now.

Humanities threaten power by teaching people to ask questions — yet another reason they are repeatedly discouraged in favor of efficiency. Reading 1984 by George Orwell shows how to recognize propaganda, which is crucial in a world where misinformation spreads rapidly. Watching a musical like Hadestown is a cautionary tale about exploitation. Philosophy forces us to confront what justice actually means, and history is the foundation for accountability.

Still, this is not a battle of STEM-versus-humanities. We absolutely need engineers, doctors, and programmers. But without historians, artists, and writers, the same innovations that push us forward also have the potential to destroy us. The popular Netflix show Black Mirror did not earn its notoriety because of the cool technology it features. It became a cultural phenomenon because it shows what happens when we stop asking and continue creating. 

A society where only STEM is treated as serious education will produce amazing machines and awful citizens. People will know how to edit genes and build weapons but not be able to ask whether we should. It is the same thing Mary Shelley warned about in Frankenstein. The real monster was never the creature. It was a scientist who created blindly with no responsibility.

Schools do not exist only to create employees. They exist to shape human beings. Education should not be limited to increasing productivity. It should also ask who students hope to become.

The future will be built by scientists, but it will be guided by storytellers and historians and artists. The humanities keep us human in an age that pushes us to be more like machines. They tell the stories of who we have been, who we are, and who we still hope to be. STEM may build the world of tomorrow, but humanities are what make the world worth living in.