i belong to group ........ a group that wishes english would just die already, waste of time, there are more important issues in the world than getting high on coke and gazing at some poetry or plays made centuries ago and making shit up, science is for the future, english is stuck in the dark ages.
wishes english would just die already, waste of time,.
I'm going to have to disagree with you there, and here's why;
Firstly, a couple of definitions;
Objective - 'mind-independent' something that exists without an interperetation, i.e. facts.
Subjective - 'dependent on the individual' - contextually imperative
Now, most subjects can be classified into varying degrees of objectivity, for intstance Mathematics (apart from the fundamental assumption that 1+1=2 and other such trivialities) could be classified as purely objective, while Physics could be said to be mostly objective with a trace of subjectivity ( varying theories, interperetations of the same physical data).
English, on the other hand, can be said to be almost entirely subjective, as it is very dependent on the individual.
The important thing to grasp here is that objectivity is universal. I.E. some alien civilisation could come up with a pythagorean theorum that would be the same as ours. As such, what purpose is achieved in devoting all resources to objective pursiuts (primarily science)? Sure, we can improve our quality of life and other such factors, but why strive to improve life if you aren't living it?
On the other hand, subjectivity is inherent to the individual. Another civilisation won't come up with a perfect rendition of Hamlet any time soon. Subjective pursuits are what gives us our individuality, out humainity. At the end of the day, the only thing that humanity has is its culture, everything else can be replicated. As such, English (and other cultural pursuits, such as music and dramatic arts) are what defines our species, give us our place in the grand macrocosm of life.
Now, onto deconstructing your argument for real;
gazing at some poetry or plays made centuries ago
Hey, you know what else was made up centuries ago? Mathematics! But, despite it's age, modern day humans look to old mathematicians for methods to solve their modern day problems, which is precisely why we look at old works of literature. You aren't being forced to wrote-learn a century old play because your teacher thinks it was pretty cool, you're being shown the epitomy of our culture, our greatest intangible achievements, and through the study of English, you should (hopefuly) learn how to appreciate/replicate it.
science is for the future, english is stuck in the dark ages.
Unfortunately, it seems that you are the one who is stuck in the dark ages. Or, more precicely, the Utilitarian era of medival europe. This was their exact philosophy, that one should devote all their time to tangibly 'useful' pursuits. It wasn't untill the humanist movement and the promotion of liberal arts that humanity started to resemble culturally what it is today.
Do me a favour for a moment. Think about what entertains you, and ask weather it would have been possible under a utilitarian regime. Movies? Nope, liberal arts. Novels? Music? Both liberal arts!*
Sure, you could say technology (i.e. science) was nessecary for all those things, but that's the crux of my thesis; science exists to serve, it is a means to an end, wheras the advancement of culture is an end in and of itself.
*Just to clarify, by Novels and Music I meant the wide range of styles and themes we posess today, not novels and music in general
there are more important issues in the world
Now this statement is mind-boggling. You're saying the subject of english, which primarilly teaches the presentation of themes and ideas, should take a back seat to other issues, which you have knowledge of either through;
A presentation someone has given to you (the news, a simple chat, etc, something which has taken the use of english skills to communicate)
Acquiring all evidence for yourself and making your own valid judgement (hence making an individual interperetation of events, and thus following the principals of english)
You're saying that an issue, communicated to you, that matters only due to your context (I.e. killing is wrong, save the environment, other personal beliefs) should take precedence above the very notion of commmunication and context?
Do you have scientific evidence for that? Or is that merely your way of representing your interperetation of the values of English? (which, I might remind you is an employment of the skills ofEnglish)
So, in conclusion;
English (and other language studies) are one of the only unique aspect of human culture, most others can be replicated
English is the driving factor behind the liberal arts, quite possibly the most pertinent source of culture/entertainment (and If we don't enjoy ourselves, what is the point of living?)
English cannot be escaped, communication is always nessecary.
Although, for all it's merits, we cannot allocate resources purely to literary pursuits, much the same as we cannot allocate all to science. A balance is nessecary, between enjoyment and culture now and the opourtunity for that in the future.
Oh, and OP: Don't be a tool. While that could definately be your interperetation, the fact that you are asking
others to form and articulate your thesis indicates that you're only doing it to be difficult and contradictory.
Tunnel Snakes Rule. That is all.
