Knowledge of Liberal science: Path to empowerment

Liberal sciences refer to a broad field of study designed to provide a well-rounded education that encompasses various disciplines. The goal of Liberal sciences is to cultivate general intellectual abilities rather than specialized professional skills emphasizing on analysis of human affairs, critical thinking and problem solving. The emphasis is on the breadth of knowledge instead of the depth.

The most important disciplines in Liberal sciences which shape world affairs are: Political sciences, Economics, History, Sociology, Behavioral sciences and Philosophy. The various disciplines within the Liberal sciences are highly interconnected, often sharing similar concepts, methodologies, and goals. As a result, these fields of study frequently intersect and complement one another, creating a rich fabric of knowledge and understanding. For example, it is impossible to have a good grasp of Political system without understanding the economic system and social relationships that exist in a country. Similarly, without understanding the history of a nation one cannot properly understand its current economic or socio-political structure.

Liberal science scholars cannot derive theories like the above without interdisciplinary synthesis of knowledge:

The significance of liberal sciences encompasses several dimensions:

1. Holistic Education: It develops interdisciplinary skills to understand various facets of world affairs and appreciate the complexities of the world. This in turn also develops an intellectual curiosity in people as concepts become easy to understand with broad a priori knowledge.
2. Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills: One of the primary goals of liberal sciences is to cultivate critical thinking skills by developing abilities to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information from multiple sources, fostering the ability to think independently and make informed decisions. The diverse knowledge base and analytical skills developed through Liberal sciences education equip people with the tools needed to tackle complex problems in innovative ways.
3. Communication Skills: Liberal sciences develops articulation skills in the form of written and oral communication skills. This is necessary for a meaningful discourse and to influence others.

In view of the nature of Liberal sciences, it is crucial for community members to engage in them for collective empowerment. In modern-era, no community has achieved empowerment without its intellectuals possessing a strong foundation in liberal sciences, as understanding and positively contributing to a pluralistic world is key to influencing it.

Consider the example of a kitchen with numerous cooks preparing somewhat unhealthy dishes. An observer without culinary expertise might know healthier substitutes but will be unable to intervene effectively to get his idea across. Conversely, someone with extensive culinary knowledge and credentials would be more likely to influence the cooks. They will not only be able to influence the situation, but actually cook and show how to do things in a better way. Similarly, to impact the world, we must first understand its workings through liberal sciences before normatively prescribing solutions.

Before ending the post, it is important to add that Liberal sciences has two branches based on their approach and focus:

• Positive Liberal sciences: Focuses on describing and explaining phenomena objectively through data, facts and evidence and aims to answer “How things work?”.
• Normative Liberal sciences: deals with values, ethics of the subject and attempts to answer the question “How things ought to work?” using an ethical framework.

Key Difference between the two can be summarized in terms of:

• Objectivity (facts vs. values)
• Testability (testable vs. interpretive)
• Focus (“how is” vs. “how should be”)

Both the branches are equally important as one cannot go about prescribing how a system should work without having the knowledge of what is currently in function, design limitations, scope of change and underlying history. Similarly, just knowing facts and empirical knowledge is counterproductive if it is not guided by an ethical, value-based framework.

Detail discussion on Normative and Positive Liberal sciences will be taken up in a separate post.

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References
[1] Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy: Lord and Peasant in the Making of the Modern World, Moore Barrington, Beacon Press, 1966