| Of they're intellectually vapid devoid of any merit. Since we do advertise the fact that we don't even calculate a GPA and we'd like people to look at the complete transcript, they'll see what courses you took anyway.
It's wrong to have things just so that someone can add another title to their resume even if it doesn't mean anything. If we have concentrations that are required 8-10 courses, as some ABs are, how can we say that taking 4-6 of those courses in intellectually complete in someway that you've gained a new level of expertise. What do the 2-4 courses you haven't taken have that you could graduate with one and not with the other? If, without these courses, you cannot consider yourself prepared as a disciplinarian, if they're that essential, then isn't there something wrong with not having those courses?
More than that, we're seeking to inspire our students to actually take a wide variety of courses and explore, to exploit the open curriculum. Students generally flock to anything that allow them to feel judged in less words-- John Smith, Biology and Economics with minors in Blank. It encourages consolidation which is not beneficial to a liberal arts education. Though we allow Brown students to do these things, it's not our desire. It's just not Brown.
There is way more to it than just that, but that's just a taste of the "problem" with minors.
The truth is that if you're interested enough in a subject to take 4-6 courses in it you should be doing it for the love of the material, not for yet another form of recognition. You'd be encouraged to take more courses in an area even if you've exhausted your true interest (and not taken courses in areas you're very interested in) because just a couple more gets you that treasured minor. | 
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