One day, during a conference, a man stood up and said: «Ok, all of this is great. But what about the dough – How are you going to make money? We can’t pay the bills with philosophy».
Today, we have a problem. Well, we have many problem, but this one is particularly close to me: the slow disappearance of the classics. When talking about education, one of the main common questions is “What are the professional opportunities in relation to this formative path?” or even more directly “What kind of job can I do if I choose to get this degree?” – This particular approach is leading to the disappearance of many humanistic disciplines (including art history) in favor of technical, specialized subjects that are perceived as safer options geared towards career opportunities that put technicality before imagination and creativity.
On the other hand, what we need the most today is open-mindedness – being curious and creative enough to approach new mindsets. According to a Oxford University survey, 47% of current job positions (from dentists to actors to real estate agents) could become fully automated within two decades. The MIT leadership center states that creativity and imagination are two out of five most sought-after qualities in the modern and future leader. With such a mindset, when being asked “What are you going to do with a degree in philosophy, literature or sociology?” you should answer “I don’t know, but I do know what job I could make up for myself”.
People who deal with art everyday can understand the difference between being able to do and being able to think. More importantly, they understand that “thought” precedes “action”. How many times did we see a work of art and thought “I could have done this!” – the thing is that it isn’t about being able to do something, but being able to conceive it – being able to think of something that nobody else could see. Let’s leave technicality to the machines and let’s enjoy the privilege of being able to use our imagination to get by.