Why do people look down on Liberal Arts/Humanities majors?

Because engineers contribute to society where as liberal art majors just impose their rediculous views on society

"That's like saying that one should give more importance to the builder rather than the thinker." - Engineers are not the builders, they're the designers. "They study the very essence of the human condition, all that matters in life." - And what kind of companies want people with this "skill"? "In all aspects that matter, they have the more 'practical' edge." - Uh, no. That would be the people with the practical skills, the engineers. "What use would one have from knowing how to build a bridge when it doesn't need to be built?" - Because people pay good money to have bridges built. After college, it's all business. No one will pay you to sit around and philosophize. You need to be able to add value to the company. Most of the time it will be the engineers saying when the bridge needs to be built. A traffic engineer will say "We need another bridge here" or a structural engineer will say "This existing bridge needs to be replaced" (or sometimes a politician says "I got us some money, build a bridge whether or not we need it so we can create some jobs"). The "human condition" never comes into play. It's necessity (based on calculations) and money. "How many people do you see major in Engineering because they want to be engineers?" - Including myself, every engineer that I've ever met. Like with medicine, if you're not actually dedicated to it, you won't last. "All they care about is money" - Most of them do it because they like science and technology. If all they cared about was money, they'd major in business administration. That's a lot easier and will probably pay more in the long run. "It's sickening to always see glorified engineers and doctors" - Yeah, making our lives easier and keeping people from dying makes me sick too.

You "daresay those who major in the Humanities field are much wiser"? I don't know about the rest of the world, but I see this viewpoint among Liberal Arts/Humanity majors as rather arrogant, and I think your question proves this.

Because certain majors gives you better opportunities and so many others are too broad and don't have a specific career. What career can you get into with a degree in Philosophy V.S having a degree in Engineering? That's no comparison. Careers and majors such as Business, Nursing and Engineering are more in demand. Degrees such as Philosophy, English and Liberal Arts don't have a specific career and almost (if not completely) worthless. That's why. It's not easy majoring in Engineering as your GPA has to stay high with no exceptions. The same with Nursing and Law.

Not all people look down on liberal arts/ humanities. My father from europe was a chemical engineer then to get away from Hilter came to USA and he studied and became a civil engineering doing drafts and drawings for bridges. He enjoyed liberal arts/ humanities commentaries he listened to on tv and radio. Also gleaned much pleasure from them thru the newspapers and magazines.

Partially because job placement after college. With an Engineering or medical degree, there is jobs all over looking for qualified applicants, and the market continues to rise as the healthcare industry and commercial building industries are growing. You are limited to who wants you, and what you can do with a Liberal Arts degree, or Philosophy degree. "Knowledge" and "wisdom" go hand-in-hand, so your comparison is a bit presumptuous. I think it's very hard to have one without the other. Those in the know, are usually wise in their field. While those who are wise, know what they need to complete the task. I am in Engineering, and I love it. I don't do it for the money. I do it because I love designing, drawing, and seeing things work and come together. I have always been interested in building various structures, and really enjoy working with them every day. I don't look down on anyone attending a secondary education program. I think the more you learn, the better off you are. However, I do feel that for a LA/Phil. degree, you limit yourself greatly in post graduation opportunities. Not only isn't it as "specialized" as some other degrees, you also need to be in the right location to get a job. If you aren't near a city, or very suburban location, you aren't going to get a job. Engineers are needed all over the country... Doctors and nurses are needed all over the country... Lawyers are needed all over the country. However, it's hard to justify the need for a LA/Phil. major. I've known many.. and I mean MANY people who have attended college for Liberal Arts and/or Philosophy, and they have had terrible times finding jobs. A few of them are working in the local factories, a few are still looking for jobs anywhere and everywhere, and only a select couple of them have moved 1000+ miles away to take a job offer. Like I said, I have nothing against any secondary education. But I just think the reason to your question, is partially because of the "usefulness" of the degree. No offense intended. But you need to recognize the job markets, and placement opportunities. Maybe you live in an area where the market is booming for your degree... that's great. But 9 times out of 10 that doesn't seem to be the case. Best of luck to you in your career!

Liberal Arts and Philosophy majors are for the kids who could not cut it. They were unable to perform the intellectual needs of other majors...so they opted out for a easier one. Engineers and doctors are some of the most vital pieces to human society. So what if you were taught to think about yourself, and the ideas of other men who did nothing special in their lives except think about dumb stuff. You like the car you drive? How about the medicine that keeps you healthy and alive? How about the laptop you are on right now? Without engineers and doctors society would cese to exist the way it currently does.

I think those in the liberal arts and humanities tend to be more thinkers than those in Medicine or Engineering. A thinker is one who studies, analyses, criticizes, thinks, deduces, coordinates, synthesizes, plans, gives a purpose, directs, orchestrates, harmonises and organises all objectives, all work, all building, all projects of any sorts in our lives.

It is the difference between being "educated" and being "trained". The purpose of higher education is to learn to think critically not learn a trade.