If it is philosophy that is about to be chucked out please remember that the men who made the most critical changes for the former barbarian West, were both philosophers.

Firstly, Saint Thomas Aquinas, who is regarded as the greatest philosophical thinker because he stooped to balance Christian faith with Golden Greek philosophy largely enabling us former barbarians to be where we are today.

Secondly, John Locke, 17th century English philosopher who through his organising of the English 1866 Glorious Revolution, not only gave Royalty only second place in British national governance, but whose doctrine was also used to trigger the American War of Independence.

I find it rather amusing to hear uneducated people slagging off BA's.

I completed a Humanities Degree at QUT Carseldine, which was the most enriching, mind expanding, skill developing undertaking and achievement of my life.

I subsequently traveled the world for over 5 years with the luxury of a broad education and appreciation for the world I was visiting. Very much un-like the one-dimensional morons who stayed back here to persue pathetic 'jobs' which they now hate.

Now at 28 years of age run my own finance firm and earn substantially more than anyone I know (by a very long way) and I put it all squarely down to my supposedly impractical, un-usable BA...

I say with great pleasure a massive 'sucked in' to all you one-dimensional slaves who take vocational degrees and waste 3-5 years of your life just so that you can be an (arguably) fractionally better qualified slave for a merge few years after you have finished.

I can't think of anything worse than taking a boring as bat sh!te commerce degree - or worse some computer based total waste of time degree which will be out of date in 6 months anyway. The Humanities will stand you in fantastic stead for life!

My only worry is being surrounded by a bunch of computer geeks and engineers who have no f'ing idea about anything in life.

The Humanities are the pinnacle of true intellectual study.

Saying that university study should only be for the acquisition of a 'job' is as pathetic as saying that sex is just for making babies - get a life people!

Good on you, Daniel, You came into my computer like a ray of light. Can’t understand what is happening to most of the others? Howard and Costello must have most of ‘em conned?

We could start up with the old tune, what the world needs now – especially when one of our group goes on about how at last we’ve found the answer, with the right wing doctrines showing the way, the left ones back to where we had the right.

Sounds like in beer putsch days before the Nazi Revolution, when Germany’s left and right were both out for revenge and pretty well with the same feelings, all angry over the outcome of the Treaty of Versailles. All they needed was a secular saint or priest like Hitler, most eventually following Hitler, even the Bishops, the Americans as well showing interest.

But we are not really being harmed like the Germans thought they were, Daniel. It is just that we have been caught up in an admittedly ultra-right wing mentality possibly caused by the global situation, but it seems that the political mentality is being used to throw out parts of the Humanities, so important to our peace-time culture. Not meaning sport, of course, as John Howard seems to prattle so much about, as well as the conservative front-yard picket fence, but something precious and special that the more practical aspects of education can't give.

More to Come - BB

Congratulations Daniel on your stroke of good luck most probably combined with a good work ethic and plenty of nouse...
To the other BA graduates (and there are alot) who can't find work and entered university intellectually unequipped by the school system, Daniel is currently working on your retirement plan.
The figures speak for themselves- the vast majority of BA graduates remain unemployed after graduation.

A bit about my life, Daniel, which probably changed me from a bush b-rstard.

Brought up in the Great Depression, not much schooling but taught to like books by a part German mum, carrying pencils extracts from an Arthur Mee’s encyclopedia in my pocket as a I drove a wagon team. Was good enough to beat college boys later in military schools, also natural to a country lad, proudly on his arm and in his paybook, the insignia of a marksman or sharpshooter.

Trouble was that rather than a sniper, I became a specialist
showing officers the rudiments of heavy artillery range-finding, including radar.

Married a trainee girl teacher who had also joined the army, and stayed married to her for over sixty years, her having only passed away a year ago last week.

After retirement, my wife in order to keep me away from the golf club bar, kidded me to battle through a Leaving and a course in Humanities, finally gaining a social science degree, majoring in Third World Problems in Sri-Lanka.

Tried to get back to the golf course, but Dr John McGuire told me that right now I was an Honours student, and could later play golf in heaven.

After finishing up with Post-grad elective's in macro-economics and penning a historical series called A Land in Need based on WA since the First Landing, and just before my wife's death - finished 13 years taking groups in the Mandurah U3A, discussing mostly philosophical topics and history back from the Greek Golden Age to our worrisome present times.

Never ever believed I could ever be so lucky to spend the last years of my life engaged in such learning, Daniel, and reckon from only your one commentary, you and I could well feel disgusted at the lack of interest by most of our commentators, not only in philosophic and the associated scientific reasoning , but also in the knowledge and appreciation of the fine arts that the Schools of Humanities can give.

WRE - thanks for your worthless opinion. Do you have any evidence for the ridiculous statement that the vast majority of BA graduates are unemployed? Of course not - you are happy to recycle lazy stereotypes.

Let's assume the 'vast majority' of unemployed BA grads you refer to is 51% of all BA grads (I'm being kind). How does this square with QUT graduate outcomes for 'society and culture', as reported to DEST, being 85%? The reason it's not higher than 85%, by the way, is because not everyone wants to go into the workforce (for example, because they are raising a family) after uni.

Do you know what the national unemployment rate is? Do you assert, perhaps, that the entire national unemployment rate is comprised of BA grads (that would seem to be a consequence of your wild claims)? The School of Humanities has an excellent team of social scientists - currently facing redundancy - who could help you with your total inability to manage even simple descriptive statistics.

Daniel06 - a brilliant post! How true, that the idea of tertiary education as merely job training cheapens us all. I feel sorry for young people, so fearful of the spectre of not getting a job, who condemn themselves to 3 years of total boredom.