Will the Humanities Save Us?

[Oroborus]

In the intrests of being concise here's what I think about all this. Nothing ever learned is wasted unless you fail to make a use for it.

 

[Stone Island]

No, actually, your other posts indicate a very subjective perspective on your part. You keep telling me about individuals and I keep telling you to look at the market.

Tokie

You're hilarious. I gave you Census data and you said, "Yeah, but..."

Then I gave you an anecdote and you said, "Yeah, but..."

No, really. That's too funny. I can admit when I've been trolled. Good job, you had me really going.

For a moment, I thought you were serious. Gosh, how wrong was I? Ha, ha! Keep up the trolling, you're obviously very good at it!

 

[Stone Island]

From, Salary Survey Report for All People in All Surveys:

 

[Tokenconservative]

In the intrests of being concise here's what I think about all this. Nothing ever learned is wasted unless you fail to make a use for it.

Indeed.

Can you tell me where I might look for a bunch of want ads looking for folks with degrees in modern art...or Philosophy? Or English?

History?

Feminist or Ethnic studies?

I'll wait.

While you are finding those, think about this: for a time in the 90s, Ethnic Studies depts in US colleges were teaching "Afro-centric studies." Can you tell me where an "Afro-centrist" Anthropologist might get a job?

Today?

Tokie

 

[Tokenconservative]

You're hilarious. I gave you Census data and you said, "Yeah, but..."

Then I gave you an anecdote and you said, "Yeah, but..."

No, really. That's too funny. I can admit when I've been trolled. Good job, you had me really going.

For a moment, I thought you were serious. Gosh, how wrong was I? Ha, ha! Keep up the trolling, you're obviously very good at it!

Let's try this again...the data you provided, in the one case bolster MY assertion, not yours...while (if I do not misremember) the census data indicate that while any college degree is better than none, they also show that more specialized, techincal, scientific, business, engineering etc. degrees earn you more money.

The anecdote is just that. Interesting, and telling to be sure, but simple common sense should tell you that your friend's situation is not the norm.

The data table you then provide following this post seems to say nothing about non-tech/sci/business/engineering degrees, and to indicate that the more specialized your degree the more you earn.

Tell me where I am misreading this data?

Tokie

 

[Stone Island]

Let's try this again...the data you provided, in the one case bolster MY assertion, not yours...while (if I do not misremember) the census data indicate that while any college degree is better than none, they also show that more specialized, techincal, scientific, business, engineering etc. degrees earn you more money.

The anecdote is just that. Interesting, and telling to be sure, but simple common sense should tell you that your friend's situation is not the norm.

The data table you then provide following this post seems to say nothing about non-tech/sci/business/engineering degrees, and to indicate that the more specialized your degree the more you earn.

Tell me where I am misreading this data?

Tokie

Shorter Tokie: "Yeah, but..."

I'm confused: are we talking about getting a job at all or earning more money?

But, anecdotally, since I can't find a want ad specifically asking for a philosophy degree and despite the fact that a Bachelor of Arts degree pays better than a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, you can still make the point that a Bachelor of Arts degree is useless. I suppose it doesn't matter that you already took Masters degrees off the table for consideration, as my point that a Philosophy BA was an excellent way to get a J.D. was difficult for you to explain away.

Listen, you're a troll. There is, as far as I can tell, no evidence that you would accept, even theoretically, should I produce it, that would make you change your position other than a want ad specifically asking for one of your verboten degrees. Why this would matter, or get to the truth of the matter, or count as evidence of anything, I don't know. Census data? Yeah, but.... Anecdotal data? Yeah, but... Payroll data? Yeah, but...

Listen, great troll. No, really. EXCELLENT TROLL, TOKIE! You've made fools of us all for taking the time to argue with you. I'm putting you up for troll of the year honors. How do you like that?

 

[volatile]

http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:l4sZv6vWz-QJ:www.shef.ac.uk/content/1/c6/07/12/57/employment%2520stats%2520undergrad%2520CB.doc+job+%22philosophy+degree%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=uk&client=firefox-a

"3. Relevance of Philosophy degree: 88% of respondents said that their Philosophy degree had helped in some way to qualify them for their job."


http://www.philosophy.bham.ac.uk/ugadmissions/careers.shtml

"Some applicants may worry that whilst studying Philosophy may be intellectually satisfying, they will emerge with their heads in the clouds, unfitted for the world of work. While there are few jobs which specifically call for a Philosophy degree, it should be borne in mind that nearly 50% of all vacancies advertised for new and recent graduates do not require you have studied a specific subject, and your choice of occupations, as an Arts graduate, is very wide indeed. Any sort of Arts or Humanities background will be a positive advantage for e.g. journalism and the media, many branches of the civil service, personnel work, publishing, industrial relations, accountancy, local government, many fields of management, computing and information technology, etc. etc. Many employers are primarily interested in a well developed and receptive cast of mind, uncluttered by rigid preconceptions; someone they can 'train up' in their own way. A Philosophy degree is increasingly coming to be recognized as a excellent preparation for this. "


http://faculty.cbu.ca/philosophy/jobs.htm

"a philosophy degree will get you a job – often a very good one. But very, very few jobs depend upon a particular undergraduate degree. People rarely get jobs because of a degree in a specific discipline, whether it is philosophy, political science, english or history. Rather, they get jobs because they are bright, well-educated, articulate and enthusiastic people with good reasoning skills which allow them to identify, analyze, and find solutions to problems. Philosophy offers an exceptional training in this regard because it requires an excellent grasp of logic, an ability to make sense of abstract conceptual problems, and a familiarity with some of the world’s greatest thinkers and ideas. Studies of SAT results consistently show that philosophy students perform better on average on these tests than students of all other disciplines except mathematics."


And as for "Afro-Centric Anthropology", this is a list of jobs for anthropologists, a large number of which have an international dimension (WHO, Department of State) or require specialities which include particular regional knowledge (archivist, librarian, social work, charities).

 

[Tokenconservative]

Shorter Tokie: "Yeah, but..."

I'm confused: are we talking about getting a job at all or earning more money?

But, anecdotally, since I can't find a want ad specifically asking for a philosophy degree and despite the fact that a Bachelor of Arts degree pays better than a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, you can still make the point that a Bachelor of Arts degree is useless. I suppose it doesn't matter that you already took Masters degrees off the table for consideration, as my point that a Philosophy BA was an excellent way to get a J.D. was difficult for you to explain away.

Listen, you're a troll. There is, as far as I can tell, no evidence that you would accept, even theoretically, should I produce it, that would make you change your position other than a want ad specifically asking for one of your verboten degrees. Why this would matter, or get to the truth of the matter, or count as evidence of anything, I don't know. Census data? Yeah, but.... Anecdotal data? Yeah, but... Payroll data? Yeah, but...

Listen, great troll. No, really. EXCELLENT TROLL, TOKIE! You've made fools of us all for taking the time to argue with you. I'm putting you up for troll of the year honors. How do you like that?

You've offered nothing outside a few instructive anecdotes as "evidence" that does much but prove MY point...the chart you supplied doesn't do what you think it does. A BA-Business is a very specific degree. A BA--period, is not. My brother has a BA in math...that's far more marketable, today, than say, a BA in Art History. Is that to say that if you get a BA in Art History and your Auntie is curator of the MOMA you will never be employed? No.

What it IS to say is that today, a BA in most of the liberal arts is NOT marketable. That's not saying that a MA, MS, or Ph.D (or JD) in anything is not. It's saying what it is saying.

The point IS that you can't find such a want ad. And you should really either learn what "begging the question" means, or stop employing it in every post...while howling that that's what I am doing.

Nowhere have I said that a JD (which, if I do not misremember, is a doctoral degree) has no marketable value. But that's just you, begging the question, isn't it?

More, you shouldn't follow a string of other logical fallacies with an ad hom: YOU A TROLL!!!

It's...unseemly and makes you seem, again, as if you don't know how to engage in rational discourse.

The evidence you can produce is to direct me to a Jobs.com or Craigslist want ad for a job asking for an Art History major, or Medieval Languedoc Literatur major....should be easy enough since you say there are job aplenty out there, just looking for those with these sorts of degrees.

Tokie

 

[Jeff Corey]

Let's talk about "begging the question" (circular argument or petito principali). In this logical fallacy, the conclusion is implied, embedded or included in the premise or premises. Maybe I'm missing this, but where has this arisen in recent posts?

 

[Tokenconservative]

Let's talk about "begging the question" (circular argument or petito principali). In this logical fallacy, the conclusion is implied, embedded or included in the premise or premises. Maybe I'm missing this, but where has this arisen in recent posts?

Sure: the poster who is arguing with me here (sorry...I am terrible with SNs and since I've been suspended for shortening or otherwise failing to "properly" cite them, not gonna take any chances) states that since "some guy" he knows and "others" have (also; along with JDs and master's and Ph.Ds) the BAs in Liberal Arts, have "jobs" or are lawyers/judges that this is self-evidentiary proof of his assertion that possession of a BA in Liberal Arts is not worthless. In essence, he is claiming that since A is (undeniably/conclusion) A, then A is proof of A.


Now, begging the question is just ONE of the logical fallacies he's using, to be sure...like...many in here, he tends to employ nearly the entire catalog (nice Wiki'ing, on that, by-the-by!): a phalanx of strawmen (saying that I am claiming ALL BAs..such as my brother's in Math...he's one of the most sought after software developers in his particular field in the Western US, so clearly his BA in MATH has served him well), false analogy (a BA in MATH is not equivalent to a BA in...History in the marketplace), false authority (supplying stats that use the above false analogy), false dilemma (there are BAs in the maths and hard sciences), oversimplification (just because his cousin, whose mother is a curator at MOMA got a job with HIS Art History major....), and of course, the ad hom (you won't accept my data at face value and/or have pointed out its flaws, therefore "yer a troll!!).

Best wishes,
Tokie

 

[volatile]

Tokie... I teach BA Art History. Pretty much all my students graduate and get jobs. Do all of them have relatives at MoMA?

I posted statistics and employment opportunities for Philosophy and Anthropology, too. Are you done with talking nonsense yet?

 

[Tokenconservative]

"3. Relevance of Philosophy degree: 88% of respondents said that their Philosophy degree had helped in some way to qualify them for their job."

"Some applicants may worry that whilst studying Philosophy may be intellectually satisfying, they will emerge with their heads in the clouds, unfitted for the world of work. While there are few jobs which specifically call for a Philosophy degree, it should be borne in mind that nearly 50% of all vacancies advertised for new and recent graduates do not require you have studied a specific subject, and your choice of occupations, as an Arts graduate, is very wide indeed. Any sort of Arts or Humanities background will be a positive advantage for e.g. journalism and the media, many branches of the civil service, personnel work, publishing, industrial relations, accountancy, local government, many fields of management, computing and information technology, etc. etc. Many employers are primarily interested in a well developed and receptive cast of mind, uncluttered by rigid preconceptions; someone they can 'train up' in their own way. A Philosophy degree is increasingly coming to be recognized as a excellent preparation for this. "


http://faculty.cbu.ca/philosophy/jobs.htm

"a philosophy degree will get you a job – often a very good one. But very, very few jobs depend upon a particular undergraduate degree. People rarely get jobs because of a degree in a specific discipline, whether it is philosophy, political science, english or history. Rather, they get jobs because they are bright, well-educated, articulate and enthusiastic people with good reasoning skills which allow them to identify, analyze, and find solutions to problems. Philosophy offers an exceptional training in this regard because it requires an excellent grasp of logic, an ability to make sense of abstract conceptual problems, and a familiarity with some of the world’s greatest thinkers and ideas. Studies of SAT results consistently show that philosophy students perform better on average on these tests than students of all other disciplines except mathematics."


And as for "Afro-Centric Anthropology", this is a list of jobs for anthropologists, a large number of which have an international dimension (WHO, Department of State) or require specialities which include particular regional knowledge (archivist, librarian, social work, charities).

LOL!

88%: That's good to know. Nothing like hearing a wholly objective perspective. Did that breakout how many of them have something MORE than a BA Philosophy?

And...more logical fallacies! A veritible forest of them! Can you point out where I said that obtaining, specifically, a degree in philosophy excluded one from gainful employement, throughout time? This is called a fase dilemma for those keeping score at home.

Let's recap my many recaps: a BA (only) in many/most of the LIBERAL ARTS, offered in AMERICAN public colleges are not marketable in TODAY's employment marketplace. Because of this, since many univs/colleges are public, and thereby subsidized by taxpayer funding, unmarketable degrees should fall outside the aegis of such funding; I exclude education-directed BAs in these disiplines.

Now, let's look at some of the things I am NOT arguing, but which others are saying that I am:

1. That no univ/colleges put some otherwise useful BAs (math, some sciences) in the general category (as, mostly, a matter of tradition) of the "Liberal Arts." Some, perhaps most, do,
2. That having a BA in XYZ, excludes EVERYONE holding one from employment for all time, past and present,
3. That having one of these with a masters or Ph.D, or medical degree, or double, triple, etc., major, excludes you from employment for all time, past and present,
4. That anyone holding one of these degrees is a big dumby!

Now, all emotional, subjective screaming aside...can someone please point me to the Jobs.com or Craigslist (or other) or newspaper want ads that (outside education) show ad after ad looking for folks with those (apparently, according to my detractors herein) valuable BAs (only) in Philosphy, Ethnic Studies, Literature (any language), or even soft sciencens such as Psych, Sociology, Anthro, Archeo, etc., etc.? If, as this poster and others is (apparently) claiming, it's the case that the market is just begging for folks with BAs (only) in these liberal arts, such ads should be plentiful.

I will agree that such specialities have some utility to the marketplace. I am sure that if you are one of 3 people in the nation with a BA in Medieval Andoran Tapestries, you will find yourself in demand among collectors, museums, etc. If, howmsoever, you are among 250,000 coming out of college, this year, with such a degree, your value to that market will decline accordingly. The marketplace is not DEMANDING a SUPPLY of people with such knowledge, at this time.

Most of those that public (esp.) colleges and univs. churn out every year with BAs of these sorts, will no doubt find employment as receptionists, assistant store managers, sales "associates" and of course in food service. However, it will not be their SPECIFIC degree that lands them these valuable positions.

That being the case, I'm not sure I, as a taxpayer, should be subsidizing such educations when in all liklihood, such employees need, at most, a high school or perhaps associates (2-year) degree in something like marketing, food service, management, etc.

Best wishes,
Tokie

 

[mrund]

I'm a humanities PhD (archaeology isn't organised under social sciences in Europe), and believe me kids, it's ****ing useless. But fun! If you can somehow support your humanities habit without resorting to prostitution or 10-hour days of menial labour.

Though politically a liberal, I am of the opinion that liberal education is a sham. Study weird subjects and become an over-educated bus driver, it's as simple as that. Unfortunately, this is not something that deters 19-year-olds when they choose their specialism. In fact, many are never even told the truth at the time.

I often encounter the argument that the specifics of e.g. an archaeology degree may be useless, but that the general skills one acquires through it are marketable. I always give the same reply: you're not competing with other archaeologists for jobs outside archaeology. You're competing with people who have all your useful general skills and a set of relevant specific skills.

 

[Tokenconservative]

Tokie... I teach BA Art History. Pretty much all my students graduate and get jobs. Do all of them have relatives at MoMA?

I posted statistics and employment opportunities for Philosophy and Anthropology, too. Are you done with talking nonsense yet?

Ah.

And jobs in...um, what? Where I live, there are a million resorts...their concierge and front desks, their restaurants and shops are filled to overflowing with folks degreed (and often not just with BAs) in Art History, Philosophy, Lit, etc.

I'm not sure MOST of them had this in mind when they pursued that valuable degree...what do YOU think?

How do you KNOW "pretty much all of them" get jobs in which their training as art historians (you are talking about graduating with an actual degree in Art History, right?) is the thing that cinched it? And are these jobs as "decorators" for furniture stores. Don't get me wrong...you can make a lot of money as an entrepreneurial decorator, and have to start somewhere...but the marketplace demands very, very few of these people--which is my point, or do "most" of them (how many, exactly?) get jobs with MOMA?

Best wishes,
Tokie

 

[Tokenconservative]

I'm a humanities PhD (archaeology isn't organised under social sciences in Europe), and believe me kids, it's ****ing useless. But fun! If you can somehow support your humanities habit without resorting to prostitution or 10-hour days of menial labour.

Though politically a liberal, I am of the opinion that liberal education is a sham. Study weird subjects and become an over-educated bus driver, it's as simple as that. Unfortunately, this is not something that deters 19-year-olds when they choose their specialism. In fact, many are never even told the truth at the time.

I often encounter the argument that the specifics of e.g. an archaeology degree may be useless, but that the general skills one acquires through it are marketable. I always give the same reply: you're not competing with other archaeologists for jobs outside archaeology. You're competing with people who have all your useful general skills and a set of relevant specific skills.

Absolutely! If I could go back to college for fun, I'd do Palenontogy and rent my tired old body out, for nothing, to any of the fine Paleo schools in this part of the world, digging up dino (actually, I like mega fauna) bones all over our wonderful deserts.

Unfortunately, I have bills to pay. And I'd have to get at LEAST a masters in that to actually seek EMPLOYMENT in any of those schools, and frankly...they really don't take anyone (permanent, contract) without a Ph.D.

Best wishes,
Tokie

 

[mrund]

I think you're understating the case. Paleontology departments don't take anyone permanent, contract with a Ph.D. either.

 

[volatile]

Jobs.com redirects to Monster.co.uk in the UK, so excuse the British focus of this. I know you won't care, I know you won't admit you're wrong and I know you won't change your mind, but here we go anyway. This is a very quick search:

Philosophy, Ethnic Studies: Social Worker - "Two (2) years of full-time experience as a Social Worker in a public or private agency. and thirty (30) college semester units, including fifteen (15) units in social welfare, social/human services, sociology, or other social or behavioral science behavioral science*.

*Examples of social or behavioral science courses include: anthropology, criminal justice, economics, education, ethnic studies, history, human development, law, nursing, nutrition, philosophy, political science, psychology, public health, religion, social welfare, sociology, welfare, women’s studies. "

Literature (any language): All my searches for "literature" bring up job responsibilities (e.g "proof-reading product literature") rather than qualifications required.

Psych: Educational Psychologist. It's not teaching, but maybe it doesn't meet your criteria closely enough? How about Research Psychologist ("Degree in Psychology Desirable"). Does need a Master's, but that doesn't mean that the Psych degree is useless. After all, one has to do a BA before you can do an MA.

Sociology: Nursing Home Ombudsman. "A Bachelors Degree in gerontology, sociology, psychology, education, nursing, or other related areas is preferred"

Anthro: Organisational Researcher, "The person appointed should have a good degree in one of the social sciences, an eclectic approach, and some working experience outside the academic world. Any of the following would also be relevant: knowledge of organisation theory; knowledge and/or experience of action research; experience of sociotechnical analysis and design; understanding of system psychodynamics and group functioning;" (Advertised on Jobs.ac.uk but is not a job in education)

Archeo: Environmental Manager (Construction). Not a graduate job, granted, but does specify expertise in archaeology as a pre-requisite. "Key activities will include ensuring quality and timeliness of a range of environmental activities including: ecological and archaeological works, construction water managment, etc."

Now, for none of these jobs is a simple humanities degree sufficient in and of itself. I'd hazard to guess that there are also very few jobs for which a simple undergrad science degree suffices. Nevertheless, all of these are explicitly asking for academic qualifications in the very fields you deride.

Care to concede?

 

[volatile]

Ah.

And jobs in...um, what? Where I live, there are a million resorts...their concierge and front desks, their restaurants and shops are filled to overflowing with folks degreed (and often not just with BAs) in Art History, Philosophy, Lit, etc.

I'm not sure MOST of them had this in mind when they pursued that valuable degree...what do YOU think?

How do you KNOW "pretty much all of them" get jobs in which their training as art historians (you are talking about graduating with an actual degree in Art History, right?) is the thing that cinched it? And are these jobs as "decorators" for furniture stores. Don't get me wrong...you can make a lot of money as an entrepreneurial decorator, and have to start somewhere...but the marketplace demands very, very few of these people--which is my point, or do "most" of them (how many, exactly?) get jobs with MOMA?

Best wishes,
Tokie

Some of them get jobs in galleries, auction houses, museums and libraries. Some of them become lawyers, civil servants. And yes, some of them become receptionists, housewives and drug dealers. But that's true of physics, engineering and computer science graduates too; it's certainly not unique to BAs.

There's a weird presumption to your train of thought that a degree is useless unless it leads directly to a job in the same exact field, which is clearly absurd. Aside form the fact that education is sufficient as an end in itself (a different argument for another day), there are far more types of job than there are types of degree. It would simply not be practical or sensible to run degree courses in every conceivable possible job; rather, an undergraduate education, in any field, arts or science, should aim to produce well-rounded, articulate, well-read human beings who are adaptable, capable and innovative; skills which are of use in a wide range of skills.

You were an English teacher, right? Surely you must understand the value in having a culturally-literate society? Surely you understand how an awareness of literature and its history is inordinately beneficial to both individuals and societies?

Is the only purpose of education to produce employees?

 

[Tokenconservative]

Jobs.com redirects to Monster.co.uk in the UK, so excuse the British focus of this. I know you won't care, I know you won't admit you're wrong and I know you won't change your mind, but here we go anyway. This is a very quick search:

Philosophy, Ethnic Studies: Social Worker - "Two (2) years of full-time experience as a Social Worker in a public or private agency. and thirty (30) college semester units, including fifteen (15) units in social welfare, social/human services, sociology, or other social or behavioral science behavioral science*.

*Examples of social or behavioral science courses include: anthropology, criminal justice, economics, education, ethnic studies, history, human development, law, nursing, nutrition, philosophy, political science, psychology, public health, religion, social welfare, sociology, welfare, women’s studies. "

Literature (any language): All my searches for "literature" bring up job responsibilities (e.g "proof-reading product literature") rather than qualifications required.

Psych: Educational Psychologist. It's not teaching, but maybe it doesn't meet your criteria closely enough? How about Research Psychologist ("Degree in Psychology Desirable"). Does need a Master's, but that doesn't mean that the Psych degree is useless. After all, one has to do a BA before you can do an MA.

Sociology: Nursing Home Ombudsman. "A Bachelors Degree in gerontology, sociology, psychology, education, nursing, or other related areas is preferred"

Anthro: Organisational Researcher, "The person appointed should have a good degree in one of the social sciences, an eclectic approach, and some working experience outside the academic world. Any of the following would also be relevant: knowledge of organisation theory; knowledge and/or experience of action research; experience of sociotechnical analysis and design; understanding of system psychodynamics and group functioning;" (Advertised on Jobs.ac.uk but is not a job in education)

Archeo: Environmental Manager (Construction). Not a graduate job, granted, but does specify expertise in archaeology as a pre-requisite. "Key activities will include ensuring quality and timeliness of a range of environmental activities including: ecological and archaeological works, construction water managment, etc."

Now, for none of these jobs is a simple humanities degree sufficient in and of itself. I'd hazard to guess that there are also very few jobs for which a simple undergrad science degree suffices. Nevertheless, all of these are explicitly asking for academic qualifications in the very fields you deride.

Care to concede?

Sure, I'll condede...

Now, moving on. I said early in this conversation that Sociologists can get jobs as social workers. Period. Fine.

As for these others...go ahead, submit a app...see whether that psych job goes to one of the tens of thousands of people with MS or even Ph.Ds in Psych or to some kid with a 4 year....

Oh, and now shriek at me "you asked for the ads!!! Here they are!!!"

LOL. I love this...some Art Hist. prof. who has not been in the real world in...well, probably forever, telling me that there are plenty of jobs out there for folks with these degrees...ever applied for one, V?

And let me see if I understand you: someone with a 4-yr degree in Psych or Art History, in the US, will get a job in GB doing this...okay.

I concede.

LOL!

Tokie

 

[volatile]

Oh, and now shriek at me "you asked for the ads!!! Here they are!!!"

Well, you did ask for the ads. "Show me the ads on Jobs.com", you said. So I did.

Don't put your back out moving those goalposts, will you now?

LOL. I love this...some Art Hist. prof. who has not been in the real world in...well, probably forever, telling me that there are plenty of jobs out there for folks with these degrees...ever applied for one, V?

You'll note at the top of this very page I pointed out that I worked in the industry as a translator, interpreter and purchasing agent. That was 2002-2006. I also worked in Europe doing similar jobs between 1999-2000, as a sandwich year from my degree.

My undergrad job was in French and German, so I haven't applied for any jobs that required a sociology undergrad, no. I do, as I said, now teach undergrad and Master's art history, and my students do apply for, and do get, jobs (including ones similar to those I posted ads for). I don't know what more I can tell you.

And let me see if I understand you: someone with a 4-yr degree in Psych or Art History, in the US, will get a job in GB doing this...okay.

Errrm. Well, some of those links were to US jobs. And yes, they specifically asked for Psych. None of them were for art history, because that wasn't on your list. Nevertheless, a 2-second search on Jobs.com turned up Senior Buyer, "A love of history, or history of art, is an advantage".

Also, even if we presume you're correct is assuming that those jobs do go to Masters or (more unlikely) doctoral candidates, all of those people will still have done these supposedly irrelevant undergrad degrees. You can't get a Psychology MA without a BA! If, as these ads show, there is an market need for liberal arts graduates, then liberal arts degrees are useful.

As usual, TC, evidence trumps opinion. You said "No-one wants liberal arts grads". They do. Demonstrably.