Friday, June 19, 2009

NEH grants away on the "Enduring Questions"

Is driving on a
pothole-free road the definition of freedom or just simple human dignity? Is
using the breakdown lane to bypass a traffic jam the definition of evil
or is it leadership? Do we need God for the good life, or just a grill
and something to cook on it? I would pitch in a few bucks for
answers to these questions and I bet you would, too. Well, the National Endowment for the Humanities has put its money where our mouths are ...

Judith Dobrzynski, on her blog Real Clear Arts, tells us that the National Endowment for the Humanities has started a program in which undergraduate college students compete for $25,000 grants by exploring the "Enduring Questions." Here, paraphrased by Judith, are the questions in question:

What is happiness?
What is justice?
What is freedom?
What is human dignity?
What is evil?
What is leadership?
What is the meaning of life?
Do we need God for the good life?
How should we view mortality (especially given biomedical advances)?
What are the dangers of individualism?
Should art be moral?

There have been $21,404,466 in grants to date so if you are an undergraduate student, it's time to rummage around in your closet for that thinking cap.



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