Oxford University professor Helen Small has penned a book entitled The Value of the Humanities. Alas, if you expect a book offering strong arguments in favor of offering such courses and encouraging students to take them, you’ll be very disappointed.

Monterey College professor David Clemens reviews the book today in this Pope Center piece, and finds that Small devotes her pages to disparaging a number of arguments that are often raised in favor of the humanities, while giving no arguments that she finds worthwhile.

Professor Clemens counters with arguments for the humanities that he (and others) do find persuasive.