# Society By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2022-08-30 What is a society? Is it merely individuals collected in commerce [[together]] under similarly designed pieces of fabric waving in the sky? At its best, society is something more than individuals sharing a nationality and economic [[interests]]. American society has an established tradition of focusing on business, independence, and “[[Pragmatic]]” concerns. It is not uncommon for Americans to question why anybody would study philosophy or the humanities. At a superficial level, those domains do not seem to offer much in the way of “getting things done.” Upon closer [[examination]], these areas of study contribute immeasurably to our understanding. In September of 1935, _The Atlantic_ published the poem “[Litany for Dictatorships](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1935/09/litany-for-dictatorships/652097/).” In this poem, [[Stephen Vincent Benet]] provided the following words: >_We thought we were done with these things, but we were wrong._ >_We thought, because we had [[power]], we had [[wisdom]]._ >_We thought the long train would run to the end of Time._ >_We thought the light would increase._ >_Now the long train stands derailed and the bandits loot it._ >_Now the boar and the asp have power in our time_ >_Now the night rolls back on the West and the night is solid._ Why study poetry and the humanities? Because it gives voice to essential societal elements residing outside the economic exchange. It can provide an early warning when things are on the brink of collapse. Understanding the humanities provides context for life and why one might want to sustain it when confronted by the banality of existence. Examining something eloquently stated can inspire one to think about it deeply, grow, and contribute effort towards making things more equitable and just.    The lack of a proper accounting of the [[value]] of the human aspects of society was identified in 1968 by [[Robert F. Kennedy]] in his [remarks](https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/the-kennedy-family/robert-f-kennedy/robert-f-kennedy-speeches/remarks-at-the-university-of-kansas-march-18-1968) at the University of Kansas, when he stated, “the gross national product does not account for the health of our children, the quality of their education or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry…the [[intelligence]] of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials.” It is a relatively small step to fascism when one exclusively focuses on nationalism and economics. Philosophy and the humanities are important societal safeguards against this threat. #### Related Items [[Philosophy]] [[Humanities]] [[Poetry]] [[GNP]] [[Economics]] [[Fascism]] [[American]]