Humanities
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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| [[Image:Sign and signifier as imagined by de Saussure.jpg|thumb|left|200px|[[Signified]] ([[concept]]) and [[signifier]] (sound-image) as imagined by [[de Saussure]]]] | [[Image:Sign and signifier as imagined by de Saussure.jpg|thumb|left|200px|[[Signified]] ([[concept]]) and [[signifier]] (sound-image) as imagined by [[de Saussure]]]] | ||
| + | {| class="toccolours" style="float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 2em; font-size: 85%; background:#c6dbf7; color:black; width:30em; max-width: 40%;" cellspacing="5" | ||
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| + | "We do not know whether the [[humanities|study of the humanities]], of the noblest that has been said and thought, can do very much to [[humanize]]. We do not know; and surely there is something rather terrible in our doubt whether the study and delight a man finds in [[William Shakespeare |Shakespeare]] make him any less capable of organizing a [[Nazi concentration camps|concentration camp]]." --"[[To Civilize Our Gentlemen]]" (1965) by George Steiner | ||
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| + | [[Image:The Bookworm by Carl Spitzweg.jpg|thumb|200px|''[[The Bookworm]]'' (c. 1850) by [[Carl Spitzweg]]]] | ||
| {{Template}} | {{Template}} | ||
| - | The '''humanities''' are academic disciplines which study the [[human condition]], using methods that are primarily [[analytic]], [[critical]], or [[speculative]], as distinguished from the mainly [[empirical]] approaches of the [[natural science|natural]] and [[social sciences]]. | + | The '''humanities''' are [[academic discipline]]s which study the [[human condition]], using methods that are primarily [[analytic]], [[critical]], or [[speculative]], as distinguished from the mainly [[empirical]] approaches of the [[natural science|natural]] and [[social sciences]]. |
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| + | Examples of the disciplines, related to humanities are [[Languages|ancient and modern languages]], [[literature]], [[history]], [[philosophy]], [[religion]], [[visual arts|visual]] and [[performing arts]] (including [[music]]). Additional subjects sometimes included in the humanities are [[technology]], [[anthropology]], [[communication studies]] and [[cultural studies]], although these are often regarded as [[social sciences]]. Scholars working in the humanities are sometimes described as "humanists". However, that term also describes the philosophical position of [[humanism]], which some "[[antihumanism|antihumanist]]" scholars in the humanities reject. | ||
| + | ==History== | ||
| + | In the West, the study of the humanities can be traced to ancient Greece, as the basis of a broad education for citizens. During Roman times, the concept of the seven [[liberal arts]] evolved, involving [[grammar]], [[rhetoric]] and [[logic]] (the [[trivium (education)|trivium]]), along with [[arithmetic]], [[geometry]], [[astrology and astronomy|astronomy]] and [[music]] (the [[quadrivium]]). These subjects formed the bulk of [[medieval]] education, with the emphasis being on the humanities as skills or "ways of doing." | ||
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| + | A major shift occurred with the [[Renaissance humanism]] of the fifteenth century, when the humanities began to be regarded as subjects to study rather than practice, with a corresponding shift away from traditional fields into areas such as literature and history. In the 20th century, this view was in turn challenged by the [[postmodernism|postmodernist]] movement, which sought to redefine the humanities in more [[egalitarianism|egalitarian]] terms suitable for a [[democracy|democratic]] society. | ||
| - | Examples of the disciplines, related to humanities are [[Languages|ancient and modern languages]], [[literature]], [[history]], [[philosophy]], [[religion]], [[visual arts|visual]] and [[performing arts]] (including [[music]]). Additional subjects sometimes included in the humanities are [[technology]], [[anthropology]], [[area studies]], [[communication studies]] and [[cultural studies]], although these are often regarded as [[social sciences]]. Scholars working in the humanities are sometimes described as "humanists". However, that term also describes the philosophical position of [[humanism]], which some "[[antihumanism|antihumanist]]" scholars in the humanities reject. | ||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| *[[Great Books]] | *[[Great Books]] | ||
| - | *[[Great Books Programs in Canada]] | ||
| *[[Liberal Arts]] | *[[Liberal Arts]] | ||
| * [[Social sciences]] | * [[Social sciences]] | ||
| * [[Phronetic social science]] | * [[Phronetic social science]] | ||
| * [[Human science]] | * [[Human science]] | ||
| - | * [[Digital humanities]] | + | * ''[[The Two Cultures]]'', an essay by C. P. Snow. |
| - | * [[The Two Cultures]] | + | |
| * [[List of academic disciplines]] | * [[List of academic disciplines]] | ||
| - | * [[Public humanities]] | ||
| * "Periodic Table of Human Sciences" in [[Tinbergen's four questions]] | * "Periodic Table of Human Sciences" in [[Tinbergen's four questions]] | ||
| {{GFDL}} | {{GFDL}} | ||
Current revision
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"We do not know whether the study of the humanities, of the noblest that has been said and thought, can do very much to humanize. We do not know; and surely there is something rather terrible in our doubt whether the study and delight a man finds in Shakespeare make him any less capable of organizing a concentration camp." --"To Civilize Our Gentlemen" (1965) by George Steiner |
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The humanities are academic disciplines which study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytic, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural and social sciences.
Examples of the disciplines, related to humanities are ancient and modern languages, literature, history, philosophy, religion, visual and performing arts (including music). Additional subjects sometimes included in the humanities are technology, anthropology, communication studies and cultural studies, although these are often regarded as social sciences. Scholars working in the humanities are sometimes described as "humanists". However, that term also describes the philosophical position of humanism, which some "antihumanist" scholars in the humanities reject.
History
In the West, the study of the humanities can be traced to ancient Greece, as the basis of a broad education for citizens. During Roman times, the concept of the seven liberal arts evolved, involving grammar, rhetoric and logic (the trivium), along with arithmetic, geometry, astronomy and music (the quadrivium). These subjects formed the bulk of medieval education, with the emphasis being on the humanities as skills or "ways of doing."
A major shift occurred with the Renaissance humanism of the fifteenth century, when the humanities began to be regarded as subjects to study rather than practice, with a corresponding shift away from traditional fields into areas such as literature and history. In the 20th century, this view was in turn challenged by the postmodernist movement, which sought to redefine the humanities in more egalitarian terms suitable for a democratic society.
See also
- Great Books
- Liberal Arts
- Social sciences
- Phronetic social science
- Human science
- The Two Cultures, an essay by C. P. Snow.
- List of academic disciplines
- "Periodic Table of Human Sciences" in Tinbergen's four questions
