Media mogul Sumner Redstone graduated from Harvard College in 1944 with concentrations in classics and government. In an interview on Tuesday, the chairman of Viacom CBS Corpo ration and National Amusements spoke about the value of humanities, and how his education helped his career, whether breaking code in World War II or making international deals in the boardroom.  …on the purpose of education  “Learning how to learn is very important. I think training in humanities is essential to good learning. Understanding culture and history is always an advantage. Science and math are important, but humanities is in a broader sense the story of humanity. It is the study of civilization and its history and culture.”  “Socrates was my favorite Greek philosopher; I read him in Greek. I also read Latin. I spoke French, Spanish and Italian.”  …on his experiences in World War II  “The study of humanities was critical in every aspect of my life. When I served in the war, I studied Japanese and was involved with breaking the Japanese code. Our mission was to break Japanese code and we succeeded. The diplomatic codes of the Japanese elite used different language than the people of Japan. We had to know Japanese culture, so that we were able to differentiate [the vernaculars] from the beginning of my work there. I can still speak Japanese.”  …on the use of humanities in business  “I traveled extensively in my career. The appreciation for cultural differences was always important for business partnerships. It means having insight into how people acted through history. Law, journalism and other careers can be built through study of humanities, too.”  …on current viewpoints against humanities  “They don’t know what they are talking about. I believe strongly all young people can benefit from humanities’ perspective and insight. No matter what they do with their lives, they will find that the study of humanity is critical.”  “Plus, you know, humanities involved studying women too.”  For more go to Humanities Fall From Favor
In a tough job market, fewer Harvard students are expressing interested in the humanities. But media mogul Sumner Redstone, who graduated from Harvard in 1944, argues that the humanities can lay the groundwork for a rewarding life.