The Utility of the Useless in Times of Social and Life Crises

Abstract

This article aims to reflect on how humanistic education can empower individuals and professionals to navigate social and personal crises, with a focus on the challenges facing Chile, our domain. It also seeks to provide recommendations for harnessing the humanities in education to help future generations avoid the alarming consequences of functional illiteracy, as highlighted by OECD studies. In Chile, these studies reveal that a staggering 53% of adults and 84% of the population struggle to comprehend written texts, leading to a disconnect from their social, cultural, and historical context. This has perpetuated a cycle of exploitation, frustration, and anger within society for decades. While this perspective may be limited, drawing from specific authors and academic courses, it underscores the need to address these crises through education. By integrating the humanities into primary, secondary, and later, higher education, we can begin to mitigate these challenges and foster a more informed, empathetic, and engaged citizenry. The title incorporates an "appropriation" of the book The Utility of the Useless by Professor Nuccio Ordine (2018), which was deemed pertinent for this project, and from which certain ideas and quotations have also been derived.