THE AMERICAN ENGLISH EXPRESS Chapter 4
page 6
This
is another reason that you are not to use the first and second person pronouns
(I, me, my, you, our, we, etc.) in formal writing. Formal learning is the
pursuit of the truth. The truth is something that is true independent of the
people involved. The truth is not someone’s opinion. Therefore, one should not
express “the truth” (formal knowledge) as an opinion. One should not say, “I
think that the sky is blue.” One should say, “The sky is blue.” Or one could
say, “The sky appears to be blue.”
The Natural Sciences got their name from
what they study: nature. A student of physics studies “bodies in motion”; a
student of biology studies ‘living things’ and a student of chemistry studies
‘matter’.
The Liberal Arts got their name from
history. The subjects contained herein are all purely creative endeavors:
they are substantially (‘to a large extent’) products of the human mind.
“Liberal” means “open minded” or “broad minded” or “free thinking”.
In
this use it is an historic term (a term from history) that at one time referred
to individuals who were intellectual ‘explorers’ (exploring ‘freedom of
thought’) at a time when intellectual exploration was severely limited, chiefly
by institutions of faith (in Europe, the Catholic Church) but also by the
political power structure of the time.
These courageous people were not bound by
the restrictions of their times and thought about the world in different, ‘new’
ways. Giordano Bruno was one of these.
And
so were Immanuel Kant and John Locke and David Hume (1711-1776), who believed
that human knowledge was mostly a matter of habit and belief: we expect the sun
to rise tomorrow, because it always has, but we have nothing but our faith to
rely on.
This was called a ‘liberal’ way of thinking:
one’s mind is free from the restrictions of our own thought that we impose on
ourselves and one’s mind is freed to think thoughts that society discourages us
from thinking.
The Social Sciences are the youngest
branches of the knowledge tree. They reflect the explosion of information, facts
and theories that accompanied the Industrial Revolution of the 17th,
18th, 19th and 20th Centuries. 
Economics is sometimes said to have begun
in 1776 (a fateful year) with the publication of Adam Smith’s The Wealth of
Nations.
(Look
it up!)
The Natural Sciences, the Liberal Arts and the Social Sciences:
The Sciences
The Liberal Arts
The Social Sciences
Physics
Language & Literature
Economics
Biology
Arts
Sociology
Chemistry Mathematics
Anthropology
Typical Degrees:
A.S., B.S., M.S., Ph.D. A.A., B.A.,
M.A., Ph.D. A.A., B.A., M.A., Ph.D.
The Disciplines, the subjects and some typical occupations:
1.
Biology:
the study of all living things, including plants, animal and human beings.
Some occupations: Medicine (Doctors,
Nurses, Technicians)
Veterinary Medicine, Biologist
Research, Teacher, Writer
Botanist (works
with plants)
2. Chemistry:
the study of matter and its changes
Occupations:
Research, Teacher, Writer, Chemical Engineer, Chemist
3.
Physics: the study of bodies in motion
Occupations: Research,
Teacher, Writer
Engineering
(Mechanical, Electrical, Physical)
Meteorology (Weather
forecasting)
4. History: the study of the past
Occupations:
Teacher, Historian, Writer
Lawyer/Bureaucrat Helping
professions: Social service/Mental health fields
5. Arts:
studies creative expression
Occupations:
Musician, Painter, Sculptor, Performer
Helping
professions: Social service/Mental health fields
6. Philosophy:
the study of knowledge
Occupations:
Teacher, Writer, Philosopher
Lawyer/Bureaucrat/Administrator
Helping
professions: Social service/
Mental health fields
7. Mathematics:
the study of quantitative relationships
Occupations:
Research, Teacher, Writer
Statistician
Mathematician
6. Economics:
the study of the exchange of
goods and services
Occupations: Business, Teacher, Writer
Financial Industry (Banking, Insurance)
Economist
7.
Political Science: the study of power relationships
Occupations: Politics, Business
Lawyer/Bureaucrat/Administrator
Teacher,
Writer
8. Language & Literature:
the study of written and spoken expression
Occupations:
Teacher, Writer, Librarian, Journalism
Lawyer/Bureaucrat/Administrator
Helping
professions: Social service/Mental health fields
9. Sociology:
the study of groups and group behavior
Occupations:
Research, Teacher, Writer
Helping professions:
Social service/Mental health fields
Lawyer/Bureaucrat/Administrator
10. Psychology:
the study of the individual mind and individual behavior
Occupations:
Psychologist, Psychiatrist, management, human resources
Social Worker, Teacher, Writer
Helping professions: Social service/Mental health fields
Lawyer/Bureaucrat/Administrator
11.
Anthropology: the study of human cultures (past and
present)
Occupations
Research, Teacher, Writer, Anthropologist
Helping professions: Social service/Mental health fields
Lawyer/Bureaucrat/Administrator
12. Archeology:
the study of past human civilization
Occupations
Research, Museums
Teacher,
Writer, Archeologist
You will notice that
every discipline can lead to the profession of teaching and of writing.
Everybody always reads. If you haven’t got it yet, this should certainly clue
you in: Reading and writing abilities are necessary to succeed, and help you
take your place, in American soc
END OF CHAPTER 4
GO TO CHAPTER 5
Copyright:
2004 English 4 All, Inc.
