The Proposed Foundation for the Humanities: Recapturing the Spirit of Humanism
IN THE present session of Congress our representatives will debate the question of establishing a national humanities foundation. The arguments against the bill are likely to center on the dangers of federal thought control or the impropriety of spending government funds for the support of such lowly esteemed pursuits as the performing arts, literary studies, and historical writing. Those supporting the measure will stress the imbalance that results when government monies are made available in large amounts to the sciences while the humanities are deprived of all support. It is also likely that the proponents of the measure will cite the reduction in working hours due to automation, and the increased need, therefore, of developing the cultural side of American life so that the leisure hours may be devoted to pursuits that improve the quality of life. These considerations, although relevant, are not, perhaps, of as vital importance as those that may never find their way into the debate. The central issue is whether humanists are prepared to employ new financial resources in a manner that will achieve the aim of richer lives. For the first time, the humanists will be asked to justify their activities in terms of the national interest. Even if national interest is made coterminous with the general spiritual well-being of society, the humanists confront a problem. They have long assumed that humanistic pursuits were ends