The Humanities, Brain Science and the Unforgiving Minute

Authors

Raymond L. Forbes, Franklin UniversityFollow

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

Fall 2016

Abstract

Many independent authors from a wide variety of disciplines have come to a similar, if somewhat startling, conclusion; that we are currently at another “tipping point” in human history. Our arrival at this particular juncture in time seems to be the consequence of a potent mix of past trends and contemporary forces. Collectively, these energies act to feed exponentially growing technical and social change. In addition, there appears to be some agreement by thoughtful observers that the turmoil of our present epoch can be personified by four factors: volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity More specifically, the technical and societal changes are being fueled by rapid advances in the fields of biology, neuroscience, materials science, computer science and nanotechnology. Previous authors have warned of the possible dire consequences of large-scale unbridled change on individuals, groups, and organizations. This paper will offer a more positive thesis counter to some of the more cataclysmic views about the negative impact of current socio-technical change processes. It will also attempt to help bridge the humanities-sciences divide by weaving together the surprises of poetry and brain science within the context of unrelenting time pressure

College/Unit

College of Arts, Sciences and Technology

Publication or Event Title

Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Science

Volume

4

Issue

4

First Page

35

Last Page

40

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Forbes, R. L. (2016). The Humanities, Brain Science and the Unforgiving Minute. Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Science, 4 (4), 35-40. Retrieved from https://fuse.franklin.edu/facstaff-pub/29