Which subjects provide the best all round education?

If education does indeed `set us free,` according to the old adage, which subjects should we choose to study to make the most of this liberty? Which particular pathway through the education system will produce a well rounded individual, knowledgeable in a wide array of subjects? This may not be such an easy question to answer - for one reason, what exactly defines a learned and erudite person? A century or so ago it might have someone well versed in the classics, who could always provide an apposite maxim in latin, or recite passages of homer in ancient greek.

These days we tend to look with disdain upon such displays of learning, considering them at best facile pretences to intelligence, and at worst arrogant poses adopted by the upper class. What then does constitute a `learned individual?` Is it someone who fulfils the criteria of renaissance man (or woman) and like those masterminds at the turn of the sixteenth century, can turn their intellect to any number of subjects - the arts, sciences, mathematics - and produce new and groundbreaking work?

Perhaps this is asking too much, for the days of Da Vinci and Copernicus are well past us, and we must accept even the geniuses of recent times conceded to focus the force of their minds upon more confined canvases. There are no great paintings by Einstein for example, nor symphonies by Alan Turing.

Of course such intellectual heights are beyond the reach of most of us, but that doesn`t mean we can`t aspire to possess a rich and well rounded education. Perhaps the major obstacle to attaining this is how our school system encourages specialisation. By the time pupils reach the age of sixteen (year eleven) they will be compelled to drop the majority of their subjects, and stick with just three or four. Whether they elect to go down the route of taking a-Levels, BTEC`s or apprenticeships, the result will be a narrowing their educational portfolio, albeit while carrying these remaining subjects to a more advanced level.

The truth is that the education system tends towards subject specialisation. Must students who attend university will study a single subject - and if they go as far as taking a phd or post doctorate they will narrow their studies even further. Of course all this specialisation builds on previous knowledge, but it`s interesting to note that a Phd student undertaking a visiting science position will be studying a narrower domain than a primary school student, who will enjoy a more varied range of subjects every day at school.

Certainly specialisation is vitally important - if you were to undertake a medical procedure, you would rather be attended by a specialist in the relevant field, rather than a jack-of-all trades, who has a smattering of knowledge in medicine. Specialists bring every area forward. Without them we would be lacking so much of what we rely upon in our day to day lives: computer technology, cellular phones, vaccines, air travel - all these things, though ubiquitous in our modern world, were developed by specialists in their respective fields.

It is certainly possible though to be a specialist, and lack a broad and well rounded education. One may be an expert in a certain field, being able to expatiate upon it with complete authority, but have little to say when conversation turns to other matters. Is there then a path of study that shall ensure one possesses an extensive range of knowledge?

Until recently students had the option of taking the subject of `General Studies` at A-Level. According to the exam board AQA, the subject was guaranteed to `broaden minds by encouraging students to develop their thinking skills, capacity to construct arguments and ability to draw conclusions`. Though rather vague, this description seems to be on the right track of teaching a diverse range of thinking skills, applicable to all subjects, without being confined to just  one. Unfortunately the A-Level was withdrawn in 2017, its final exams having taken place just last year.

It is perhaps a study of the humanities which offers the the most comprehensive education, as they include ancient and modern languages, philosophy, literature, history, archaeology, human geography, anthropology, law, art, and religion. The whole range of human endeavours are covered by the humanities, and their study will provide knowledge about what it means to be a human being, and how we can avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.

Another way to ensure you acquire a good all round education is to never stop learning. Acquire a love of knowledge for its own sake, and you will remain a student for the rest of your life. We have never had such a treasure trove of information freely available to us, what with our public libraries, the relative affordability of literature, and of course the internet, which contains an abundance of learning material.