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Humanities and social sciences – everything, everywhere, all at once
Often misconstrued as esoteric academic disciplines, the social sciences and humanities significantly impact our daily routines and life choices.
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The social sciences and humanities inspire and inform technological innovations, contextualise them and more, said the writer.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
Lily Kong
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Some years ago, in a conversation about the relevance of research to society, my university colleagues and I discussed how important it was that a wider audience understands the issues and developments in various academic disciplines, so that they can see relevance in what academics do. The scientists in the group pointed to the weekly dedication of two pages in The Straits Times to science and technology and commented on how useful it was to dedicate attention to the world of scientific discoveries and technological innovations.
In a spirit of generous sharing of good practice, my scientist colleagues encouraged the social scientists in the group to lobby The Straits Times for dedicated space to address issues germane to the social sciences. At this juncture, a fellow social scientist, with a wry smile said, “No need. The rest of the paper is about the social sciences.”
