GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment: Issue

37. “Since science and technology are becoming more and more essential to modern society, schools should devote more time to teaching science and technology and less to teaching the arts and humanities.”
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.
------------------------------------------------------------
Andrew's poor writing:

I agree with the former statement that science and technology are becoming more and more essential to modern society. However, the later statement that schools should thus emphasize science and technology rather than arts and humanities is controversial. In the following analysis, I would like to reason and provide evidence to validate the former one and refute the later.

We don't have to look very far to see the influence of science and technology in our daily life. From an agriculture society to an industrial society, human beings experience the great impact of science and technology which better our lives. The transportation vehicles such as cars, mass transit system and even airplanes, means easier travel; the mobile phones and internet access brings faster communication. Science and technology even advance the medical equipment and therefore improve and prolong our lives. It is hard to imagine how we are going to live without those advanced innovation.

However, compare with science and technology, arts and humanities are no less important. Science and technology are only part of our daily life. They are not everything! Instead, they are the tools to strengthen our appreciation toward art and to realize our goal toward humanities. From the intricate design of mobile phones and other innovative gadgets to the striking style of modern architecture, all are the combination of both technology and arts. Besides, without humanities, science and technology very often lead to disaster and even destruction. As the 2nd world war that killed hundreds of thousands of lives illuminated it all too well.

In sum, although technology and science are important to the society, schools should not thus ignore the necessities of arts and humanities. Instead, they should emphasize the course of arts and humanities, because they are the foundation of our civilization.


-----------------------------------------------------
Sample Essay:

Because scientific knowledge is increasingly important in our technological world and in the practical world of jobs and careers, schools should devote sufficient time to teaching mathematics and science. This is not to say, however, that schools should devote less time to the arts or humanities. To the contrary, in a technological age the study of arts and humanities is probably more important than ever—for three reasons.

First of all, studying the arts and humanities can help students become better mathematicians and scientists. For example, recent studies of cognitive development show that studying music at an early age can strengthen a child’s later grasp of mathematics. And understanding philosophical concepts has helped scientists recognize their own presuppositions, and frame their central questions more accurately.

Secondly, studying the creative and intellectual achievement of others helps inspire our own creativity and intellectual questioning. This is particularly important in an era dominated by technology, where we run a serious risk of becoming automatons who fit neatly into the efficient functioning of some system.

Finally, technology is valuable as an efficient means to our important goals. But neither technology, nor the science on which it is founded, decides which goals are best, or judges the moral value of the means we choose for their attainment. We need the liberal arts to help us select worthwhile ends and ethical means.

In conclusion, schools should not devote less time to the arts and humanities. These areas of study augment and enhance learning in mathematics and science, as well as helping to preserve the richness of our entire human legacy while inspiring us to further it. Moreover, disciplines within the humanities provide methods and contexts for evaluating the morality of our technology and for determining its proper direction.