Taylor Swift over Charles Darwin: genetic scientist Dr Adam Rutherford on the value of humanities

I was deeply honoured when Professor Sarah Churchwell asked me to speak to this audience. I am a scientist, and I work at University College London as a lecturer in genetics. 

Sarah and I have worked together for many years though, in thinking and talking and writing about culture about history and about science. She asked me to talk about the importance of the humanities for science, but I was immediately drawn to that famous quotation by one of our greatest citizens. 

According to the story, in 1938, when Winston Churchill was asked to cut funding to the arts and humanities to support the war effort in World War II, he responded by asking ‘then what would we be fighting for?’

It’s a good line, as indeed so many of the 15 million recorded words of Churchill are. Most of them are now digitised, preserved and searchable for the world to peruse at their leisure. And a quick check in the Churchill Project, along with a quick Google to verify, reveals that as with so many of his most memorable quotations, Churchill never said it. 

The sentiment is glorious, however. And even though he didn’t say, he certainly thought it. What Churchill did say was this: 

‘The arts are essential to any complete national life. The State owes it to itself to sustain and encourage them. The country possesses in the Royal Academy an institution of wealth and power for the purpose of encouraging the arts…’

All academies are essential curators of the humanities. They are the places where that complete national life is fostered, safeguarded, and strengthened. The School of Advanced Study is one of the beating hearts of that ethos, recognizing the importance of the arts and humanities to science, and of the sciences to the arts and humanities. 

The School’s commitment to public scholarship, to showing the value of the humanities as well as talking about it, to innovation and creativity in research while also, at the same time, advocating for the importance of what we’re all doing together – the pursuit of knowledge, the exploration of human creativity – makes the School of Advanced Study a vital component of that national life to which Churchill referred. The School knows what we’re fighting for, and it reminds all of us around the country why it’s a fight worth pursuing. 

I am a scholar of another great English hero, Charles Darwin. Nothing makes sense in biology except in the light of evolution. At a lecture last week, I mentioned to the audience that I had secured four tickets to see Taylor Swift at Wembley next week. Being familiar with my views – that Swift is one of the greatest musicians of the 21st century – an audience member asked an excellent question: 'You have to pick one. Darwin or Swift. The other one will never have existed after you chose.'

Now I’ve devoted 30 years to studying the works of Darwin, and I think the audience assumed that he would be my choice. But in a heartbeat, the answer is always Taylor Swift. Or if the question was posed differently about other things that I love, the answer would be Radiohead. Or Bach. Or Rembrandt, or Blackadder, or Graham Greene, or Douglas Adams. 

Science reveals what is real, the tangible, testable nature of the universe. Evolution is part of that reality, and if Darwin had never been born, then someone else would’ve eventually come to the same conclusion. Because reality is simply waiting to be discovered. 

But if you re-run the tape of the universe, no-one else writes Shake it off, or Born to Run, or the Well-Tempered Clavier.

Science does change the world, but so do the humanities. The humanities have the power to inspire and provoke change. They have the ability to challenge societal norms, question authority, and ignite conversations about important issues. Through art, we can shed light on topics that are often overlooked or ignored.

The humanities are not merely a luxury, but the fabric of our society. They inspire, challenge, and connect us, fostering creativity, empathy, and innovation. By supporting and promoting the arts, we can create a world that is more inclusive, vibrant, and culturally rich.

It took a scientific analysis of Churchill’s 15 million documented words to prove that he didn’t ever say some of the things we believe that he said – but even if he didn’t say it, he’s still right. We must protect the humanities, and nurture science, otherwise, what are we fighting for?