When the meaning of 'Anthropo', is lost in 'Anthropogenic'

Last week, William Ruto once more deployed his assault against the arts and humanities, among them, anthropology. I call him this because I am referring to Ruto the scholar, not the deputy president.

He is soon graduating with a PhD and has written a dissertation titled “Influence of Anthropogenic Activities on Land Use/Cover Changes and Environmental Quality of Saiwa Wetland Watershed, Western Kenya”. Congratulations to him, beforehand, on this achievement. What is apparent is that our-soon-to-be most prominent scholar is hesitant to accept what he has called his own study. I invite readers to interact with the meaning of the word “anthropogenic” before dismissing my conviction that it is an offspring of “anthropology”.

The arts and humanities are central to the human condition, and it is delusional for anyone to imagine that he can diminish their stature. In any case, politics, a career that many aspire to or practise, falls in this realm. The academy (or academia) has its origins in the ingenuity of great thinkers in Greece of antiquity. Plato, a Greek philosopher, established the academy as an institution. This was the first Western-style school.

Before Plato, a mythological Greek hero, Hecademus, had a cult following in Athens. In appreciation, he bequeathed a park to his people to be used for gymnastics. Around 387 BC, Plato started the first academy here. There is correlation between Plato’s academy and what the contemporary university should be with regard to nature and function.

Athenian system

First, Plato’s Athenian academy involved itself in the inquiry of such issues as the nature of reality and the universe. In addition, men of various trades and occupations found nourishment in this institution. In line with the philosophy of the ancient Athenian system of education, the academy was concerned with creating the best human being that would serve the republic in times of peace and war. This meant that learning not only mitigated Athen’s pressing economic and political needs, but also nourished the mind.

The term “university” is derived from Latin, loosely translated “community of teachers and scholars”. This does not limit the university to the function of creating tradesmen for various occupations, but rather extends its mandate to the appreciation of knowledge as an end in itself. This great aspiration has over recent years been overlooked because of the belaboured linking of the academy to industry.

Even in the most advanced countries, which the most militant proponents of “education for industry” would readily cite, different universities exist for different functions. There are universities that have distinguished themselves as institutes of science and technology and others that have gained renown for being centres of excellence in the arts. Besides, empirical evidence shows that the developed countries support all these state universities to the level that makes them contribute to both knowledge creation and training.

Granted, Kenya needs STEM (science, technology and mathematics), the same way the developed world needed these subjects to break the industrialisation barrier. This notwithstanding, there is no justification for suppressing one narrative in order to elevate another. The Industrial Revolution in Europe took place in the 18th century, more than 200 years ago.

Hence, it will be deliberate harping at half-truths to forget that it is through interaction with their own history and that of other states that the less progressive nations are enlightened on the context in which Europe industrialised.

History records that Great Britain, where industrialisation began, was spurred to this crucial phase in human history partly because of political stability. This means that understanding politics and governance (which fall in the realm of humanities) is to a great extent responsible for ensuring the advances witnessed in that country.

There is no doubt that any country on the path of progress needs a balanced human resource - and it is incumbent upon the state to support institutions that nurture this. In the developed world, it is not uncommon for theatres and sports stadia to thrive alongside industrial parks. Consequently, the suggestion to reduce, or even abolish Government sponsorship for the arts and humanities must certainly be ignored.

Mechanised beings

According to the Stanford Humanities Centre (housed in the auspices of Stanford University - USA), humanities should be central to the education system of any progressive society because they enable the society to “get insights into everything, understand the world and bring clarity to the future.” A system that emphasises science and scorns the arts must be reminded that it is well on its way to creating mechanised beings instead of human beings.

Those who use newspapers only to wrap meat will sneer at this analogy between the contemporary university and Plato’s academy as a mere reference to the ideas of “very dead men”. When you meet them, tell them that such institutions and concepts as parliament, commerce, division of labour, and governance of the affairs of human beings have their origins in the ingenious thought emerging from Greece of old.

Mr Wesonga is a lecturer at the University of Kabianga in Kericho. [email protected]