Why is liberal arts such a hot topic right now?

In recent years, more and more leading figures in society have advocated the value of a liberal arts education. There are several reasons for this trend. One is that global-scale problems such as environmental degradation and race relations are becoming more and more acute, and their resolution requires flexible, free-thinking approaches that go beyond narrow specialization. Another is that to build a sustainable society we need responsible global citizens capable of transcending differences in race, nationality, ideology and culture. Yet another reason is that advances in cutting-edge fields such as genetic engineering have ushered in a new era in which even living organisms can be designed. In this era we need to explore new disciplinary approaches spanning the arts and sciences. A further reason is that today, it is not only people and goods that move around the world: knowledge and information are circulated globally and instantaneously. This calls for a radical re-consideration of university education and research, and the formulation of new curricular programs aligned with the changes underway.

Liberal arts addresses both traditional and contemporary academic disciplines and seeks to integrate general and specialist education. Liberal arts encourages students to acquire broad insights into the question of how to live one's life and build a solid outlook on the world and human existence. The time has come to think seriously about what makes liberal arts so important.