Reviews

Niet voor de winst by Martha C. Nussbaum

flijn's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Democracies have great rational and imaginative powers. They also are prone to some serious flaws in reasoning, to parochialism, haste, sloppiness, selfishness, narrowness of spirit. Education based mainly on profitability in the global market magnifies these deficiencies, producing a greedy obtuseness and a technically trained docility that threaten the very life of democracy itself, and that certainly impede the creation of a decent world culture.
(p. 142)


Nussbaum doesn't hold back in this manifesto for the humanities. Her message is clear: humanities are at the center of an education that prepares humans for being critical, empathic members of pluralistic democracies, but they are under constant threat of a narrow view of education that reduces its value to its short-term, financial profit.

Liberal arts aren't the frivolous extras for wealthy elites who don't have to worry about the next paycheck; they are essential for every individual and society as a whole, lest we snuff out the soul, creativity, play, and critical thinking that makes humans more than smart machines. Liberal arts isn't (just) high brow academic discussions on literature or Hegelian philosophy; it is democratic in nature, allowing children from an early age to express themselves and listen and understand the Other through a Socratic method and through direct experience. By communicating, questioning, writing, dancing, listening... in other words, by actively engaging with new ideas, images, narratives and people, they internalize a sensitivity for how diverse the human experience is.

Nussbaum's writing deals with great and abstract ideas. It is clear, opinionated, and filled with inspiring examples. Writing in 2020, when prejudice, intolerance, polarization and mistrust of science and journalism illustrate a staggering lack of empathy and critical thinking, it's hard not to agree. Then again, I would say that, wouldn't I, with my liberal arts degree and my work in civics education.

That is to say, I wonder how persuasive this book is to people who don't already agree that the humanities have an important role to play in the protection of democracy.

In her aftwerword to the paperback edition, the author notes she is somewhat more hopeful because she met so many people from all over the world who passionately defend the humanities and come up with new initiatives. The book has helped these people make their case to less-than-enthousiastic administrators, bureaucrats or governments. I believe that this is one of the greatest values of this book; not necessarily to convince everyone, but to inspire those that care for the liberal arts to feel inspired and empowered to continue striving for the best enriching education for all children.

aooeee's review

Go to review page

informative reflective medium-paced

3.0

Het boek brengt interessante punten naar voren en zet je als lezer aan het denken. 

Sommige punten hadden wel nog meer context nodig om echt een impact te kunnen hebben. 
Ook jammer van de taal- en spelfouten die er hier en daar nog in staan. 

regitzexenia's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

I cannot help but feel like there is no better time to read this book than these days. If you don't know, here in Denmark where I live, our minister of education have made this plan for "dimensioning" the university studies - cutting places (or maybe even closing down some of the smaller ones that won't survive a cut of places) in studies with "significant lack of employment after graduation" (mostly Humanity studies like languages, arts, philosophy etc). Kind if want to send this book to her and make her read it.

Yeah, sorry, this review is not really about the book. The main thing is, I think it argues its point really well and that's why I think it should be read. I'm curious to see what we're going to use it for, as I read it for one of my uni courses.

earlapvaldez's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Reviewing this book right after the 2016 Philippine Elections, I believe that the creative integration of Humanities, not merely an extra subject but as a thing of utmost priority, is all the more needed. And here, Martha Nussbaum provides us a good framework in the middle of her discussion on the issues that surrounded Humanities education in America. Good for reflection most especially for educators with a heavy background in philosophy.

lukescalone's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Interesting, brief text on the importance of the humanities from the perspective of democratic citizenship. Nussbaum argues that everyone in liberal democracies should be taught the humanities because they foster a number of skills critical to citizenship: empathy with different experiences from one's own, connecting abstract ideas to lived realities, pushing back against exclusion, bringing multiple perspectives to the conversation, etc.

I'm not sure that this book will convince anyone who doesn't already believe in these things, but it's concise and gets to the point rapidly. Although written more than ten years ago, a lot of what's written here still rings true. I found particularly interesting Nussbaum's examination of Rabindranath Tagore's teaching philosophy, where he uses culture to teach life skills.

gav_ferreira's review against another edition

Go to review page

informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

hbeags's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

would never have read this if i hadnt needed it for my research oh well

ianfjanssen's review against another edition

Go to review page

2.0

Perhaps it succeeds as an argument, but it fails as a manifesto.

wmhenrymorris's review against another edition

Go to review page

The two stars might be a little unfair, but I'm going by the "It was okay" tag and really that's all it was. It's quite the pack of platitudes. I think it's supposed to be a manifesto, but if so, I didn't find it all the stirring or interesting, and I'm left with no idea what we're really supposed to. All the hard questions get cursory treatment at best. Things pick up in the last chapter when we get some actual research and some specific looks at what institutions are doing wrong or right. The book needed way more of that.

There's no real unpacking of why not for profit is important nor why democracy truly needs the humanities. There's a major oversimplification of the modern preference STEM as well as the need for the technical and a sweeping aside of the major debates the humanities have had over their own value and what they actually can accomplish. It's classic liberalism (which I do have a soft spot for) but of the bland assertion kind. Pity that.

lizzybethrae's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

While I enjoyed the book, I already share Nussbaum's values and didn't need much convincing. However, I think she falls short insofar as changing the minds of individuals who simply don't care.