Flying on the wings of natural sciences and humanities – Mohammad Zahran

The progress of any country depends on two wings: natural science and humanities. No country will advance on only one wing. Developed and developing countries are equal in this respect. Our topic today is about this topic: the integration of natural science and humanities.

No nation can advance on one wing alone:

• A country which focuses only on humanities will face major problems of life and survival as it will not be able to feed its citizens due to neglect of agriculture, will not have good roads and buildings, will not have good health system etc.., because agriculture, engineering, medicine are all natural sciences.

• A nation that focuses only on natural sciences may reap quick rewards in the short term. People need a compass to guide their behavior and help them think logically, understand the best use of resources, understand their origins, their friends and enemies. This requires philosophy, logic, psychology, sociology, history, geography, and so on.

We don’t need to dwell on the importance of natural sciences, because no one denies the importance of medicine, engineering, agriculture, etc. But there is an important point: what is the importance of natural sciences that have no application in the short term? They are still very important, and it is enough to give examples and discuss their importance: viruses, earthquakes and volcanoes. Studying viruses, their mutations, microorganisms and how they spread does not bring quick returns even if there is no epidemic, but it allows us to be prepared when an epidemic comes, we can predict different situations and prepare for them. We remember the COVID-19 period, when those countries that had experience in dealing with the virus were able to vaccinate their citizens and let other countries suffer until later developed countries died from vaccination. Studying the geology of the Earth and its evolution over millions of years does not bring quick returns, but it can help us understand the world, what may happen in the future, and which factors are within our control and which are beyond our control. When nature rebels, avoid its evil. These are just examples, but there is a long list of such examples, including climate science, global warming, space research, etc. Even developing countries must be interested in these sciences. Some of them may not bring quick returns, but their importance will be revealed in the medium and long term. If some countries completely ignore these sciences, they will be at the mercy of other countries in the event of an event.

Let’s take some examples from the humanities and talk about their importance.

What about history? Should even non-specialists study it? The answer is yes. There are many reasons to learn about history, such as:

• It teaches us lessons and gives us reasons to be proud.

• It allows us to identify our friends and enemies.

• It helps to understand our roots and what we have in common.

• It helps critical thinking by analyzing events.

• It helps in predicting future scenarios and preparing for them.

• When we study the history of science, researchers can learn how ideas were created, struggled, integrated, and developed.

…

What about philosophy? Unfortunately, we laugh at this profession when someone talks about things we think are unimportant, so we say to him, “You are philosophizing.” If taught correctly, philosophy can train students to think in a correct way, relying on criticism and logic, and how to ask appropriate questions in a variety of problems, because a good question is the first path to solving a problem. All of our professions need these qualities, without exception.

Not only are the humanities important, but surprisingly, we wouldn’t be able to use some of the technology without some of the humanities.

If we look at advanced technologies such as self-driving cars, will we see them on the roads soon? This question involves two things: the ever-improving technology itself and the necessary legislation. If you take a self-driving car and ask it to go somewhere, and it hits someone during the journey, who will be held responsible? This is the second thing, which is legislation. Laws and constitutions are humanities, without them the world would be a mess, and without legislation and laws some technologies would not see the light of day. Legislation is a humanities.

…

We all agree that education is an important pillar of any country that wants to progress. Education itself requires pedagogy, psychology, etc. The military also needs humanities, weapons of course rely on technology and are a product of natural sciences, but the military also needs psychology and political science, which are humanities. We must not forget that all armies have an important professional department. In moral affairs. If we talk about geography, political science, economic science, etc., the discussion can go on and on and on for pages.

…

An important question remains: do we firmly believe that we need the humanities in addition to the natural sciences, but the number is not important? For example, don’t we need ten engineers and twenty doctors, but not so many experts in philosophy and history? The answer here comes down to two points:

• We let the student study what he likes because he will excel in it. Will a failed engineer bring more benefit to the country than a successful historian? I think the answer is no.

• Each country has its own situation. One country may need experts in humanities more than natural sciences, and there are also countries where it is the opposite, so there is no unified answer.

…

Since today’s article is about science, that is, we are talking about education and the dissemination of these sciences to our students, we must not forget that education is national security, no country can progress except through education (and not certificates), education is the foundation of national security. Scientific and technological foundations. There are several questions that we must answer carefully because they are important for educational progress.

• Have we studied the educational methods and curriculum in the United States? Western and Eastern Europe? What about Asia? Do we know the differences between them? Do we know which methods and approaches among them are best for us?

• Will we copy the style and practices of a particular country or do we need to stick to it?

• Question to families: Which is better for you: a foreign degree? Or a good education? There are many foreign certificates that rely solely on the “Khawaja complex”.

• When we invite foreign universities to open branches here, or when our universities sign agreements with foreign universities, do we choose universities with high overall rankings or universities with high rankings in specific majors? Or do we only rely on the fact that it is comprehensive about “His righteousness and salvation”?

One last note on the importance of all types of science: There is a program that I personally consider one of the radio gems, which I used to follow with great enthusiasm. The program is called “The Arabic Book, World Science”, and it very clearly portrays the importance of all types of science (both human and natural), and the dear reader can find a clip of the program on the Internet, and I invite him to listen and enjoy it.